


Anonymous Agents

by baiday2004



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Everyone shows up - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Secret Agent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baiday2004/pseuds/baiday2004
Summary: Alexander Hamilton lives in secret as an Anonymous Agent. Everything goes swimmingly, except for one thing- Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson hate each other with a passion. A mission, a competition, and two rivals are thrown together.What becomes of the odd mixture? Only time will tell.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton & George Washington, Alexander Hamilton & Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton & Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson
Comments: 87
Kudos: 56





	1. Report Duty

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. All characters from Hamilton are not mine.

Alexander Hamilton was not one to fool around. He’d occasionally kick it with friends, but he hadn’t ever had a romantic relationship before. His work always came first and foremost.  
Which is exactly why Alexander Hamilton despised Thomas Jefferson. While Jefferson completed all of his work on time, it wasn’t up to Alexander’s standards. Alexander would usually complete the work for him when they were partnered together instead.  
Jefferson was also rich. He had everything he could want and was rarely denied anything at all. Jefferson fooled around with many women in public, which irked Hamilton, who thought the behavior should be kept in the bedroom.  
But what Alexander hated about Jefferson the most was just how bright he shined. Anytime he walked in the room, the attention would turn to him. Alexander knew Jefferson was handsome, though he refused to admit that Jefferson was charming as well. It pissed Alexander off that Jefferson shined that brightly.  
However, there was a bright side to all of this. Alexander began to push harder. He had always been a hard worker, but Jefferson made him push hard enough to scare away any other person. Sadly, Jefferson was not scared and pushed back with equal force.  
Alexander thought about all of this angrily, tapping his fingers on the metal desk. 'Why the hell do people like him?' Alexander asked himself. Between Jefferson’s condescending smirk and his general assholary, he simply couldn’t see what was likable about Jefferson. 'I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s-'  
“Hamilton!” A voice yelled, snapping Alexander back to the present. Alexander looked up from the desk to meet the eyes of Aaron Burr. He knew exactly what was coming and wasn’t looking forward to it. “Are you even listening?”  
“I’m working.” He gestured down towards the papers, which he had not actually been working on.  
“And you intend to type reports telepathically, right?” Burr grumbled.  
“If I sit here long enough, the reports will type themselves.” Alexander gave Burr a sweet smile. Alexander loved writing, but typing reports was the worst.  
“And how is that going to happen?” Burr crossed his arms, ignoring the smile.  
“The report fairy will come and take care of it.” Alexander smiled again, with a chuckle. He picked up the stack of papers and held them out to Burr. Burr would usually type reports for him, in exchange for Alexander running out to get coffee and donuts.  
“Absolutely not. Washington will have me skinned alive.” Burr rolled his eyes. As Alexander opened his mouth to protest, Burr pointed a finger in his direction. “This is a punishment, Hamilton. The protocol is important.”  
“I didn’t technically break protocol, this time!” Alexander jumped up, ready to debate.  
Alexander Hamilton worked as an anonymous agent for the government. Anonymous agents were used for anything from protections of high ranking officials to hostage situations to assassination to spying to everyday police work. When you worked as an Anonymous Agent, you never really knew what your day was going to look like.  
And unfortunately for Alexander, he had gotten report duty. He was to take all of the old reports from the 2000s and retype them into the new computer. It was boring, tedious, and absolute torture for anyone who was unlucky enough to have to do it. You’d figure that they’d have a robot do it. It was 3028, after all.  
But this was a punishment for Alexander, who had not technically violated protocol, although his superior’s opinion differed from his.  
Early that week, Alexander had been sent out on a protection job of an unpopular mayor of a major city. While the protection group had been traveling, they were ambushed by a team of rookie assassins.  
It wouldn’t have been too dangerous to deal with if Alexander hadn’t been the only experienced team member. Unfortunately, his team was a last-minute team of newbies. He decided to deal with the issue himself and lead the assassins away from the team, resulting in mild injuries for him.  
It was strictly against protocol to separate from your team on a protection mission unless there were extreme circumstances. While Alexander claimed that these were extreme circumstances, his boss strongly disagreed. So here he was, on report duty.  
“No way. Sorry, but you’re on report duty and I’d like to keep my skin attached to my body, thank you very much.” Burr sighed and began walking out. “Oh, I almost forgot- Washington told me to tell you that you’re on report duty until you finish section D. He says if you work overnight, he’ll make you do section K too.”  
“Wait, what?!” Alexander yelped as if someone had shocked him. He started to speak again, but by the time he opened his mouth, Burr had slammed the door and Alexander was left alone with the reports. “This is bullshit.”  
Alexander muttered unhappily to himself while working as fast as possible. His hands typed at the speed of light, pressing each key on the computer as if the key itself had wronged him.  
Time went by, although this was mostly unknown to Alexander. He had yelled at a rookie who entered the room to get him a red bull and a cup of black coffee. Upon delivery, he poured the two together and drank the mixture, making a face at the disgusting taste.  
 _Ping._ Alexander’s phone went off, meaning that he had a text message. Alexander ignored it, favoring to sip his coffee/red bull mix and work on more reports.  
 _Ping._  
 _Ping._  
 _Ping._  
 _Ping._  
 _Ping._  
Alexander huffed as the pings continued. He considered muting his phone, but he knew that if he did, he risked someone busting into the room and further disturbing his work. Alexander picked up his phone and looked at the messages.  
\------------------------  
 _John: Alex, you coming for dinner?_  
 _John: I made pasta._  
 _John: Oi, I know you’re there._  
 _John: You’re at work, aren’t you?_  
 _John: It’s 7:30, you know you can clock out now, right?_  
 _John: I made pasta._  
 _John: Are you there?_  
 _John: I made pasta, loser. Are you really going to waste my hard work?_  
 _John: I’m going to spam you until you answer, you’ll never mute your phone._  
\------------------------  
Alexander groaned, tempted by the pasta. It was now 7:42 PM, so he could have clocked out two hours and twelve minutes ago. But Alexander was too wound up from drinking his coffee/redbull mix to stop now. He could practically feel his hands vibrating, itching to move, to write something, to do anything.  
He picked up his phone to text back, before John started legitimately spamming him. Alexander wouldn’t put it past John.  
\------------------------  
 _Alex: Sorry, I’m on report duty._  
 _John: Ooo, someone’s in trouble._  
 _Alex: I didn’t technically break any rules._  
 _John: Keyword: Technically._  
 _Alex: Wasn’t my fault protocol had to be bent._  
 _John: Uh-huh, got it. Are we on for dinner tonight?_  
 _Alex: Already ate. Gotta finish section D._  
 _John: You’re a terrible liar._  
 _Alex: I am a perfectly average liar._  
 _John: Just like your perfectly average height?_  
 _Alex: Fuck you._  
 _John: You wish._  
 _Alex: Going now, bye._  
 _John: Good luck with report duty. Maybe you’ll get cleaning duty next. ;)_  
 _Alex: Maybe you’ll end up murdered next._  
\------------------------  
Alexander locked his phone and set it face down. He glanced over at the pile of papers, waiting to be typed and entered into the system. It would probably take him until four or five in the morning to finish everything.  
'I’ll get it done by two.' Alexander thought determined and began to prepare for a long, grueling night.  
Time flew by and stack D grew smaller and smaller. Unknown to Alexander, Jefferson had stopped outside of his office, watching him type late into the night through the small window in the door.  
Jefferson smirked, watching him. Alexander didn’t notice, not even when Jefferson made faces at him through the door.  
It soon hit three in the morning, Alexander’s alarm going off loudly. Looking down, he turned off the alarm and sighed.  
What Washington doesn’t know can’t hurt him, can it?


	2. The Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. All the characters belong to Lin Manuel Miranda. Please watch his musical on Disney+, it's truly a work of art.

Alexander Hamilton was a prick. He always had been and always will be. It was somewhat unexpected, the way the higher-ups praised Hamilton. With the showers of praise that they offered him, you’d think he was some sort of god. 

Thomas Jefferson had started working as an Anonymous Agent at age twenty-two. Most agents were because they graduated college at twenty-one and worked a “Rookie” for a year. Rookies were basically trainees, although they sometimes functioned as interns or assistants. Rookies that had potential might be sent on missions, towards the end of their training period. Although it was common for people who joined the agency to be twenty-one years of age and have a college diploma, it wasn’t required. However, Thomas only knew three exceptions to this unwritten rule. 

The first exception was George Washington. Washington had joined a couple of months before he was supposed to graduate, effectively dropping out. He worked as an agent for a couple of years and rose through the ranks, before going back and completing his formal education. This was commonly known among staff and it wasn’t really a secret. 

The second exception was Aaron Burr. This one wasn’t well known, but Burr had actually joined the agency before he finished college. He took college classes while doing his training as an agent. When asked how he managed both, he simply smiled and said, “Small miracles”. 

The third and final exception that Thomas knew of was Alexander Hamilton. This was probably the least known exception and it was kept on the down-low. Washington, Burr, Command, or even the man in question would usually end up squashing any rumors that got out. As to why he was considered an exception, no one really knew outside of a select few.

To Thomas, Alexander was an interesting thing to watch and observe. His work was professional and he was in top form, physically. His fashion sense was a disaster and his hair? Thomas often wondered if it would fall from his head, from lack of proper care. However, what intrigued Thomas was his behavior. The man would usually keep it together in front of Washington or Command, but with anyone else, it was like a child that had been denied its favorite toy. Alexander refused to listen, running off and doing things on his own. The speed he worked and refused to slow down reminded Thomas of a child on a sugar rush. Although steroids and red bulls were more likely to be the culprit than sugar, in his opinion.

Thomas thought of Alexander much like an annoying young brother. He was loud, cocky, and obnoxious- similar to one of his many younger brothers. He usually called him Alexander, although never to his face. 

Thomas’s thoughts turned from Alexander and into a glass door quicker than he would have liked. He nearly ran face-first into the door, cursing under his breath. He had stepped back quickly to avoid it, thanks to his quick reflexes. Pushing the door open, a blast of cold air hit him in the summer heat. Summer would soon turn to Fall and cool down. Thomas knew he would be grateful when that happened. The humidity always messed up his hair.

“Hello, Thomas!” The woman at the desk, Maria Reynolds waved and giggled. She glanced down the hall and giggled again. 

“Hullo, Reynolds,” Thomas told her, sounding monotone. Maria Reynolds was not a character to get involved with. She flirted with everyone and had slept with over half of the people who consistently worked in Headquarters. Thomas also found her behavior strange, so he chose to stay as uninvolved with Maria Reynolds as possible. 

Maria was not interested in him this morning, however. She glanced down the hallway, looked away, and giggled even more. Maria Reynolds always knew the juiciest office gossip and she had certainly gotten his attention this morning. 

“What’s going on down there?” Thomas walked over and leaned down, so Maria could tell him. Giggling, she tilted her head up to speak to him, a hand covering the side of her mouth.

“Hamilton got into trouble again. He was on a protection and ran off on his own, which broke protocol. Now he’s getting lectured by Burr and has report duty!” She said, in a low voice. Thomas didn’t really see what was funny about this at all. 

Alexander was an extremely talented agent and breaching protocol wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, at least not for him. Since he always achieved results in doing so, no one would mention anything about it. Meaning that if Alexander had broken protocol and was now being punished, something had either gone terribly wrong or someone had gotten hurt. Neither of those options sounds particularly appealing, even if it was Alexander. 

“Who got hurt?” Thomas creased his eyebrows and a frown tugged on his lips. Maria looked up at him, not really understanding why he would care. Everyone knew that Thomas and Alexander weren't friends. Rivals was a far better word for their relationship. 

“Just Hamilton. Only minor injuries, but Washington and Adams weren’t pleased. Although Adams is never pleased, so I would take his disapproval with a grain of salt.” Maria nodded like she was agreeing with herself. A moment later, she returned to work while humming softly to herself. 

‘Alexander Hamilton was injured? No way. There’s got to be someone else named Hamilton who was injured.’ Thomas was confused. In all seven years that he had been here, many people had gotten injured or killed. Alexander was rarely among their numbers, too strong and too careful to be injured. It seemed like it would take a beast to even scratch that man. 

Thomas shook his head and decided not to think about it anymore. There was no point trying to unravel the mystery of Alexander, when there was only one person who might know something about him, outside of work. Fortune had not smiled down upon him when he first started working at the agency and he had been assigned the office next to Alexander’s. Although it was quiet most of the time, when Alexander came out of the office, things got a bit louder. And Thomas was usually involved in it. 

Thomas trudged towards his office unhappily. He had hoped that Hamilton would be away this week, sent off on some mission. 

‘Maybe his next mission will be to a foreign country. Maybe he’ll like it so much that he’ll never come back.’ Thomas thought darkly. At that moment, Thomas and his hopefully quiet morning were disturbed. Burr came out of Hamilton’s office, slamming the door behind him. 

“This is bullshit!” Someone, likely Alexander, squawked from inside before the door was sealed completely. Thomas snorted at the lack of manners and self-discipline. While Thomas was a gentleman, Alexander was like a wild tomcat. Unknown and unpredictable. It wasn’t really Thomas’s thing, but considering that Alexander had just as many if not more fans than him, he must be doing something right.

“What happened?” Thomas asked, looking at him expectantly. Burr rubbed his temples before speaking slowly. 

“Broken protocol, again,” Burr answered, confirming what Maria had said earlier. Thomas shook his head in disapproval. 

“Hamilton outta get with the program. He’s an adult, not a toddler who doesn’t understand what the word rule means.” Thomas crossed his arms again and shifted his weight to his hip. 

“He’s still young,” Burr muttered as if hoping to justify Alexander’s constant rule-breaking. 

“Most of us are young here. I’m twenty-nine and he’s around the same age as me.” Thomas proclaimed. Alexander had been working here for nine years, so he was likely the same age as Thomas or maybe even a bit older. 

“Hamilton isn't the same age as you.” Burr looked confused as to why Thomas would suggest that. Did Burr know more than Thomas originally thought? “Hamilton’s twenty-six.”

Thomas was floored- Hamilton was only twenty-six? It might have only been a three year age difference, but that would have meant that he joined the agency when he was seventeen. It was technically legal because of the training period, but there hadn’t been anyone who joined that young in over three decades. Since it was a dangerous job, it wasn't usually the first choice for young adults. 

“Hamilton is twenty-six?!” Thomas tried to keep a low voice, but between shock and surprise, his voice peaked. Burr’s mouth turned into a thin line.

“Keep it on the down-low, will you? I’m not interested in having Hamilton after my head.” Burr told him sternly. He patted Thomas’s shoulder as he walked back to his own office to get his work done. 

Thomas stood frozen, still in shock. After a moment, he hurried back into his own office and began to work. 

‘How the hell did Alexander join the agency at seventeen? It’s government work, he couldn’t have gotten in through a connection.’ Thomas mulled over the possible ways Alexander might have joined. Then a more disturbing thought came to his head. 

‘Why would Alexander join the agency? He’s a brilliant man who could probably be making millions of dollars in some large company. Why would he throw that chance away to dance with death on the daily?’ 

Thomas continued asking questions to himself like he would know the answers. Thinking about it, Thomas knew next to nothing about Alexander. He knew his name and now his age, but everything else remained a mystery. Frankly, this bothered Thomas. While Thomas had always known that Alexander was a question mark, he hadn’t expected him to become this big of a question mark. Mysteries were not something Thomas liked to keep mysteries for long, as unmasking them was one of his greatest talents, as well as a favorite pastime. 

Thomas shook his head and checked to see his work on the computer screen. Instead of written words, there was a long line of “e’s” which grew by the second. Thomas still had his finger pressed down the keyboard. Thomas pulled his finger off the key and leaned back into his chair. He was supposed to be putting together a list of possibly useful contacts in the area, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen today with as distracted as he was. There was always tomorrow. 

Thomas yawned and looked at the time. It was 5:31 PM, meaning that he could clock out and go home. But Thomas was still hung up on the mystery of Hamilton, so he went to the one person that might have some knowledge about his rival.

He strutted down the hall, in a confident manner. He knocked gently on the door of another's office. Upon a soft “Come in”, he pushed the door open and entered. 

Burr was sitting at his desk, typing aggressively on the keyboard. Burr wasn’t actually mad, but he sure did look like it when he was working. If Burr would smile more when he worked instead of looking like someone just killed his dog, he might actually be a fairly popular person. Then again, Burr was also known as the agency’s “mom”, so there was little chance of that. 

“I’ve got some questions.” Thomas closed the door behind him and walked up to the desk where Burr was working. 

“And?” Burr continued working, not sparing him a glance. 

“I’m going to keep annoying you until you give me answers.” Thomas declared. Burr frowned, knowing that Thomas wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Burr closed the small laptop he’d been working on with a click. He sighed and turned his attention to Thomas. 

“Might as well go ahead,” Burr grumbled. Thomas plopped himself into the chair in front of the desk, knowing that he wouldn’t be allowed to sit on the table like he wanted too. 

“Well, first off, is Hamilton really twenty-six?” Thomas highly doubted this. Burr was probably pulling his leg earlier. 

“Yes, he is. I’ve known him for a long time.” Burr shifted in his chair, already feeling uncomfortable with this discussion.

“Really? When did you meet Hamilton?” Thomas knew that Burr and Hamilton were on good terms, but he didn’t know that they were anything more than co-workers. 

“He was thirteen, at the time. In eighth grade, if I’m remembering correctly.”

‘Damn. If Burr has known Hamilton that long, he’s got to know pretty much everything about him.’ Thomas thought to himself, already intrigued by the idea. This could be his chance to unravel some of the mystery surrounding Alexander. 

“Where did Hamilton come from?” 

“I have absolutely no idea.”

“Wait, what? How do you not know, if you’ve known him since he was a snot-nosed brat?” Thomas shook his head at the idea of a young Alexander. Teenage Alexander was probably more annoying and horrific than Alexander was now. Burr rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

“In case you haven’t noticed, Hamilton doesn’t exactly talk to anyone about anything even remotely personal. I don’t even know when his real birthday is.” Burr tapped his foot, eager to finish his work and clock out. If Burr hadn't been so polite, he probably would have kicked Thomas out. 

“When did he say his birthday was?” Thomas tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair. 

“He said it was 6/06/06 and that his address was 342 Go to Hell Road.” Burr rolled his eyes, unamused by Alexander’s past antics. Thomas couldn’t help but laugh. As much as he hated to admit it, that was a pretty good one. 

“Sounds about right," He remarked, still laughing. "Well, where-” 

“I don’t know why you would think that I’d know anything about this. The only people who might have a clue are Laurence, Mulligan, or Lafayette- but seeing as Lafayette is in France and the other two are basically untrackable, I’d say you’re out of luck.” Burr reopened his laptop. Before he started typing again, he looked Thomas directly in the eye. “Why are you so interested in Hamilton, anyway?” 

“Blackmail, obviously,” Thomas replied cheerily. Burr pinched the bridge of his noses, leaning back into the chair while closing his eyes. 

“Is it impossible for either one of you to behave?” Burr groaned. 

“Yes,” Thomas replied, as he slipped out of the office. 

Thomas ended up going back to his own office. He had tried to peek into Alexander’s office and annoy him, but Alexander was too focused on his work. So instead, he paced the floor as it grew late. Deciding that he would get some work done, he sat down at his desk. Instead of typing on the keyboard, he dozed off and drooled on it instead. 

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

Thomas’s phone rang loudly, waking him up. He reached for his phone, his eyes still adjusting to the light. 

“Hello?” Thomas spoke into the phone. His voice was low and smooth, coated in sleepiness. 

“Are you still at work?” A voice said through the phone. It was James Madison, who was somewhere loud. There was music and yelling in the background, so it was obvious that James wasn’t at his house. 

“Ah, yeah.” Thomas brushed the hair out of his eyes and stretched to wake himself up. 

“You know it’s 3 AM, right?” James told him. Thomas actually didn’t know it was 3 AM because he had been sleeping for the past four hours. “Anyway, there’s a pretty good bar in Midlo Square. It’s a gay bar too, so you might actually take home date this time.” 

“For the last time, I’m not looking for a date right now.” Thomas grimaced, knowing that Madison was as bad as his parents- they thought he outta get hitched too. While Thomas did like a good beer and could drink like a champ, it was 3 AM, so going home was the first thing on his mind. 

Thomas would probably call out tomorrow since he had to return at 8 AM. His back was aching from sleeping on the desk and he’d probably end up overdosing on coffee if he did come in. Thomas wasn’t sure it was entirely possible to overdose on coffee, but it probably wasn’t a great idea to risk it. 

“Well, then come hang out anyway. The night is still young,” James said. 

“It’s morning. That’s what AM means.” 

“Whatever. Just come hang out.”

“Sorry, but you’re on your own. It’s 3 AM and I’m not interested.” Thomas yawned, ready to hang up. 

“Well, can you at least come to pick me up?” James asked. He sounded a little tipsy, but not drunk. 

“Fine. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Thomas stood up and began to gather the stuff he had taken out. He shoved it into his bag and checked his phone while walking out of the office. 

As soon as Thomas set foot outside of the office, he collided with someone. The person fell onto the floor in the dark hallway and began looking for their scattered items. 

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Thomas held out a hand to the person. Upon closer inspection of the dimly lit hallway, he realized that it looked like Alexander. “Alexander?” 

The man looked up at him, giving him a clear picture of his face. There was a red flush on his cheeks. The bags under his eyes were clearly visible, but they hadn’t been this morning. His hair wasn’t in its usual ponytail, but down around his shoulders. 

‘Damn.’ He thought. ‘He looks like a girl when his hair is down.’

“Don’t call me by my first name.” The small man huffed and continued to pick up his scattered stuff. He seemed to be struggling to find certain items, reaching in the general direction of the item to grab it and then failing to pick it up. Alexander reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of wire glasses. He put them on his face, looking ridiculous. 

“You wear glasses?!” Thomas burst into laughter as the smaller man glared at him. Thomas had never seen Alexander with glasses before. The glasses made Alexander look like a dork- too big for his small face. 

“You wear an arrogant attitude, so you shouldn’t be talking,” Hamilton growled. Thomas smirked as he stood up. Taking in his delicate and feminine frame, he knew exactly what button he was going to push. Alexander had always been sensitive about his height and it was entertaining to watch him argue that his height was "perfectly average". 

“At least I wear it well.” He began to speak again, but Alexander interrupted. 

“Says you.” He crossed his arms and his face creased into one of dislike. 

“Aw, don’t be mad. You can’t be blind, angry, and short at the same time. It doesn’t look good on you.” Thomas raised an eyebrow as Alexander aimed a punch at him. He stepped to the side, letting Alexander slide past him. 

What he didn’t expect was what came next. Thomas had expected Alexander to come back around to the front to fight him or get angry and curse him out. Instead, Alexander came at the back of his head with a roundhouse kick. 

Thomas whipped around and grabbed his leg. He shoved his leg away with force that he knew he probably shouldn’t have used. Although it was out of reflex (Alexander _had_ been trying to attack him), he still felt a little guilty as he heard the man’s small body collided with the tile floor. 

“Damn it-” Alexander let out a whole slew of curse words before dusting himself off and grabbing his glasses. Thomas felt even more guilty as the man stood up, breathing heavily. He remembered that Alexander had been injured on his previous mission, just a day ago.

“Ah, um-” Thomas began to speak, but he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. 

“I am a perfectly average height. But thanks for the warm-up, asshole.” Alexander grumbled. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his crumpled black slacks. He gave a yawn and headed towards the front door, otherwise unaffected by blow. Thomas followed him without a second thought. 

“Where ya going, Hammy-ton?” Alexander sped up, but Thomas easily kept his pace. 

“Would you kindly fuck off? I’m asking you politely.” Alexander looked annoyed at Thomas’s very presence. 

“Nope. I’m not leaving until you tell me where you’re going.” Thomas chuckled as Alexander sped up again, like that would stop him. They walked out the front door and into the night. It was fairly cold, causing the smaller man to shiver. Alexander continued walking and Thomas continued to follow him. 

“Are you a stalker or just nosy?” Alexander turned around and aimed a kick at his shins, after about five minutes of this.

“A little of column A, a little of column B.” Thomas shrugged his shoulders, dodging the kick. He didn't really care what Alexander thought. He was merely curious to know the unknown, as anyone would be. People often told him that he should have been a researcher instead. 

“If I tell you where I’m going, are you to leave me alone?” Alexander watched him with intensity as if trying to look into his soul. Thomas nodded, his face serious. “The gym. Now scat.” 

“What a coincidence!” Thomas pipped up, acting excited. Alexander looked at him confused and probably questioning his sanity. “I was headed to the gym too.” 

Alexander let out a loud groan and placed his face in his hands. 

“There is absolutely nothing I can do to stop you, is there?” 

“Nope.” Thomas smiled at Alexander’s clear resistance and annoyance. 

“Lovely,” Alexander muttered under his breath. Alexander turned around and sulked to the gym, ignoring Thomas behind him. 

While Alexander was thinking that it must be some kind of awful karma coming back to bite him, Thomas was thinking about all the questions he had. 

It was going to be a very long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it! I've been thinking about creating an email or somewhere so I can get prompts and feedback. I'll see you soon!


	3. Fun Facts!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fun facts about this world! This is going to be easier than trying to explain every single thing in the story, so pay attention as some of this stuff will be extremely relevant later.

Sorry folks- no update today! Instead, I present you with some fun facts and rules of the Anonymous Agents universe! 

  * As it was stated in the last chapter, most Anonymous Agents get their college degree and then join. This is because it’s a difficult job to do- while you’ll need to be a good fighter to become an Agent, you might also be asked to do things such as detective work or tracking devices. It’s important to be able to contribute more than just brute strength to the team!



  * It _is_ technically legal to join the agency at 17. You can join as young as 14, but you’ll need a Worker’s Permit (which probably won’t be granted). After age 16, you no longer need a worker’s permit. The agency has only hired five (known) minors in its entire history.



  * Those who enter the Agency as a minor are typically kept under wraps. They have the option to tell others that they’re a minor. But if they don’t want to, you’ll get into trouble if you spread rumors. 



  * The reason the Agency is so secretive about their minors is that being a minor or younger than others can decrease respect and authority. It’s easy to disregard the opinion of someone you think of as a child. 



  * The Agency is by invitation only. Candidates can be singled out as young as age five. Candidates for an invitation are typically found through intelligence testing, sports, disciplinary records, and various other methods. 



  * Candidates that are singled out in childhood that may receive an invitation will typically start being prepared without even knowing. They’ll receive scholarships to elite schools and be given lessons in things like self-defense, karate, acting, and coding lessons for little to no cost. 



  * The Agency is called “Double A Corp” in public. It’s typically thought of as the battery brand. Although the two are completely unrelated, it’s a safe cover for the Agency. 



  * Anonymous Agents have ranks. The ranks go from Rank C 1-6, for normal field agents. For supervisors and trainers, they have Rank B 1-4. For command agents who are in charge of a unit or larger, they have Rank A 1-5. For talented agents that can be sent on dangerous missions or have skills that are exceedingly useful (like hacking or machinery), they receive Rank 0. 



  * Ranks are typically kept private among agents, as it’s considered bragging. Agents will typically only tell someone their rank when asking confidential information or they need to demand authority over uncooperative lower-ranking agents. 



  * There is no information on the Agency available to the public. Agents don’t have access to much information either unless they’re Rank B-3 or higher. The Agency functions on a need to know basis. No one is exactly sure of when the Agency was founded, not even the Rank A’s. It’s suspected that it was started sometime around 2040. 



  * There are a lot of benefits to becoming an agent. Agents receive time off after every mission (although it is optional), as well as _massive_ sums of reward money for the successful completion of a mission. They also receive health care, housing, a gym membership, and a stipend to do what they please with for the rest of their lives. 



  * There are also a lot of drawbacks to working in the Agency. You’ll never be able to tell anyone where you work, even after you retire. You could be relocated at any minute. There’s a high possibility of someone trying to attack or kidnap you for information or holding you as a hostage. There's an even higher possibility that you could be killed. 



  * After achieving Rank C-3, you’ll be given more difficult tasks like protections, hits, and spy work. The higher in the ranking system you go, the more difficult missions you’ll be given. When you're ranks C-1 and C-2, you're usually just helping find suspects or doing paperwork for HQ. People try to rank up as quickly as possible. 



  * Agents that have Rank A are not allowed to leave the premises. If they do, they’ll have to take bodyguards with them as well as wear a device with the ability to track their location. This can also apply to Rank 0 agents that lack physical strength and possess valuable information or knowledge that would be dangerous in enemy hands, but this is rare. 



  * Agents with Rank B-4 or above, trainers, and Rank 0 have unrestricted access to profiles. They can go and ask for any profile of any person, agent or not. They cannot ask for a profile of someone above their rank, like the founder. But anyone below their rank is fair game. 



  * Rank 0 agents are on par with Rank B-4. The only real difference is that Rank 0 agents usually receive more privileges regarding information and leeway with breaking the rules and they don’t have an official team to lead. Rank 0 agents will typically fly under the radar, seeming like a Rank C or low B. 



  * All agents are provided with a suicide pill from the time they join the agency until the moment they die. It’s incredibly small and usually sewn into the upper sleeve of the shirt so an agent can get to it even if their hands are tied. It's a quick and painless death, over in thirteen seconds. 



  * Agents qualify for Euthanasia. They can choose to take this option at any time. However, unless a doctor says that Euthanisa would prevent further suffering and the chances of patient survival are under 10%, a Rank A-3 must approve of this decision. It’s been declined in about 90% of cases, instead opting to send the patient to intense therapy (if that was the justification for the request) or attempting to help the patient recover physically. 



  * Although it is the year 3028, the agency chooses not to get a machine to enter the old reports into the new computer. It's used as training for Rookies to show them how to properly write a report and a punishment for uncooperative and rule-breaking agents (like Alexander). It's also rumored that the machines have a chip installed that sends the files you scan to god knows where. But that has yet to be proven and isn't the actual reason the agency won't buy the machine, despite what others may think.



I hope you enjoyed my little fun facts and description! I know this will definitely explain some things in the future storyline. Sorry for no actual update, but I do hope you enjoyed it! 

I’ll cya tomorrow (hopefully), HamFans!

-Bai


	4. The Gym

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! I'm still not feeling great, but to the three people who are reading and enjoying this, I decided I would try to update. 
> 
> Special thanks to Pink_raspberry, AgailaousJorVilla, Tamale queen, STARFIRE112, and an unknown guest for supporting me and giving me a huge confidence boost.

‘Am _I_ crazy or is _he_ crazy?’ Alexander thought as he walked to the gym. Jefferson had followed him, humming to himself the whole way. ‘This _cannot_ be happening.’ 

Jefferson and Alexander usually stayed as far away from each other as possible. So for Jefferson to follow him all the way to the gym out of the blue was not only strange but seemingly unreal. Alexander wondered if he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. 

When Alexander reached the gym, he took a sharp left and walked into an alley. An unmarked door with dim lighting was the only thing in the alleyway, other than a dumpster and a few stray boxes. It required a special key to enter, which Alexander had. 

“You can stop following me now.” Alexander turned around and waved Jefferson away. He narrowed his eyes and frowned as Jefferson looked at him intensely. 

“I told you, I’m here to work out too. Let’s go in.” Jefferson said in a serious tone of voice. Alexander was convinced he was hallucinating. 

“This entrance is only for friends of the owner. Not to mention you don’t have a membership. So scat.” Alexander opened the door and slipped in quickly, slamming it behind him. Alexander listened for a moment, before hearing Jefferson’s receding footsteps. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned around. The hallway was well lit, but it wasn’t harsh. It reminded Alexander of a fancy restaurant or hotel lobby. The walls were a light orange, with a smooth texture. The floor was fake polished wooden planks. His shoes squeaked slightly as he walked to the bathroom to get ready. 

As he entered the bathroom, the sight never failed to assume him. It was fancy, rich, and completely unnecessary. The only reason Alexander bothered to come here and not to a cheaper gym was because the gym was owned by one of his friends. The bathroom held full-length lockers with benches in between. It had cream-colored walls and gray carpet in the changing area. There were twelve fully functioning showers with seats, shampoo, and conditioner. Toilets, sinks, washers/dryers, a sauna, among other things were also included. Complete bogus, in Alexander’s opinion. 

Alexander walked over to a bench and shed his work clothing. He replaced his pants with tight-fitting leggings and loose black shorts. He lifted his shirt over his head, wincing. He opened his locker and looked at his back. 

‘Fucking Jefferson.’ He thought when he saw the ugly bruise on his shoulder. That was in addition to the numerous scars and bruises he already had from past missions. As much as Alexander would like to blame all of that on Jefferson, most of them were from his own stupidity. 

He quickly tossed on a sleeveless under armour shirt, which was snug but not suffocating. It pained Alexander that the shirt still fit and he had bought it when he was eighteen. He reached into his locker, grabbing his gym shoes. 

Finished changing, he threw his clothing into the washer and walked over to the sink. He fixed his hair into a ponytail, smoothing out the frizzies with water. He applied a light layer of foundation underneath his eyes. Alexander looked into the mirror, looking satisfied with himself. He no longer looked like he had just pulled an allnighter. 

After locking his bags in his locker, Alexander stepped out onto the gym floor. Lady luck must have been in a bad mood today, because Jefferson strolled over to him, a smirk on his face. 

“Why did they let a rat like you in here?” Alexander grumbled, slouching over. He tucked his hands into his pockets, like a teenager with a bad attitude. In turn, Jefferson smiled triumphantly, waving a bright yellow card under his noses. 

“Well, this rat just bought the most expensive membership there is. So you better be nice.” At this, Alexander made a face. Jefferson looked as if he wanted to burst into laughter. 

“This is what you spend your money on?” Alexander gestured around the gym. “Good thing you have a ton of it.” 

“Something you’ll never have,” Jefferson stated. Alexander was highly tempted to give him a nice punch to the balls and halfway considered it before they were interrupted. 

“Alex!” A woman with unruly black hair and dark skin walked over. She wore shorts and a sports bra, but nothing more. The woman grabbed onto Alexander’s arm. “It’s been a while!” 

“Nonsense, Pegasus. I’m here every day, at the same time. You just sleep in late.” Alexander told her affectionately. The woman hanging off of Alexander’s arm giggled. Jefferson looked disgusted. 

‘He’s just jealous.’ Alexander thought. His grin grew bigger while looking at Jefferson’s face. 

“Alex, did you bring a friend?” The girl detached herself from Alexander and walked over to Jefferson before he could protest. “My name is Peggy. I’m one of this loser's only friends as well.” 

“Don’t talk to him. He’s a stalker. Not to mention crazy and mentally unstable.” Alexander muttered under his breath, knowing full well that Peggy wouldn’t listen. Other members of the gym, mostly females started to gather around. Jefferson shook the hand Peggy put out.

“I’m Thomas. Alexie is my special friend, even if he won’t admit it.” Jefferson winked in Alexander’s direction. Although it may have looked like he was blushing to the other gym members, Alexander was actually turned red from anger. 

“He’s not my friend. He is special, inside the head.” Alexander sent daggers Jefferson’s way. The other gym members began to take over Alexander’s attention, making him completely forget about Jefferson. He smiled and chatted with them casually. The male members slowly drifted away, bored by the dull chattering. 

“Ladies, I have to get my morning workout in some time. I’ll be back tomorrow, so we can talk again then.” Alexander smiled at the gym members. Most of the girls said their goodbyes or gave a sad sigh. Peggy gave Alexander a hug. At that moment, Alexander had a brilliant idea. 

Alexander embraced Peggy, before leaning down and giving her a small peck on the cheek. He then untangled himself before walking towards the equipment without another word. The girl was left blushing red. 

And Jefferson was left fuming.


	5. Dating or Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading, everyone. I've got a lot planned!

‘This _cannot_ be happening.’ Thomas thought to himself. A young, pretty lady comes over and attaches herself to Alexander? He allows her to call him _Alex_? Not Hamilton, not Alexander, but Alex? Burr isn’t granted that permission and he’s known Alexander since he was a kid. 

Not only that, but Alexander allowed her to _touch_ him. Thomas hadn’t seen anyone touch Alexander unless they were breaking up a fight… or they were unfortunate enough to have to fight him. But Alexander was smiling, laughing, casually chatting with other _humans_. 

Although the girl claimed she was just a friend, Alexander had _kissed_ her. Hugged her, kissed her, spoke to her affectionately. Allowed her to call him Alex. Thomas hadn’t really ever been in a serious relationship with a woman before, but he did know that you didn’t just do those kinds of things with anyone. He was _dating_ this woman. 

Thomas didn’t know why he was angry. It was probably because Alexander was dating someone and he wasn’t. Thomas hadn’t had a romantic encounter in six months. And here his pissy co-worker was, dating a young pretty lady. 

“Come on, Thomas.” Peggy turned to him after Alexander had walked over to the gym. Thomas tilted his head in confusion. “You’re not dressed to exercise, so why don’t you come to hang out with us at the cafe?” 

“Oh-” Thomas looked down at his attire. His white work shirt and his black office slacks certainly wouldn’t be able to keep up on the gym floor. And besides, some food sounds nice. He nodded, grateful for the offer. “That’d be nice.” 

The woman smiled brightly and led the way to the cafe. It was a small but cozy area, with a soothing atmosphere. Soft music drifted out from the speakers around the cafe, with the TV being off. A young man stood behind the counter serving drinks and food, while the girls from before sat comfortably seated around the cafe. 

Thomas walked up to the counter, ordering a cream cheese bagel and a caramel latte. There was a soft whispering in the background. Thomas had received his order and went to look for a seat, before being waved over by Peggy. Two other women sat next to Peggy, while two others sat across the table. The relaxing atmosphere nearly put Thomas to sleep, before one of the women spoke up.

“Is this him?” One asked. She looked very similar to Peggy. Peggy nodded. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about, personally.”

“Angelica, don’t be rude!” The other woman sitting next to Peggy smacked her. She had straight brown hair and was dressed surprisingly modestly, for the gym. 

“I’m not being rude, I’m being honest, Eliza,” Angelica smirked the one she called Eliza. The other girls giggled. 

“So, are you two dating or something?” Peggy asked, without a hint of shame or embarrassment. 

“Peggy!” Eliza looked flabbergasted. Angelica and the two others across the table burst into laughter. Thomas flushed, feeling confused and embarrassed. 

“Why would you think we’re dating?” He tried to look Peggy in the eye like Washington had told him too, assert confidence or something. 

“Cause he’s gay.” Peggy leaned into the table, giggling. 

“For the last time, we don’t know that Alex is gay.” Eliza rolled her eyes, clearly unhappy with the lack of manners. 

“It would be possible,” Angelica interjected. Thomas fell silent, not understanding what they were talking about. 

“Angelica, don’t encourage her!” 

“It’d be a shame if he were gay. He’s such a looker!” One of the girls looked across the table said. 

At that moment, a man with a coffee sat down next to Thomas. Thomas moved away slowly, unsure of who he was. 

“It would be a shame if he were gay. I know I wouldn’t date a man who can beat the crap outta me.” The man said. The girls took notice and waved. 

“Welcome back, Hercules,” Eliza said. Peggy and Angelica simply nodded, continuing to discuss the topic at hand. Hercules jumped in, debating with vigor. 

“Alex hasn’t ever stated what his sexuality is, so-” 

“Wait, hang on…” Thomas spoke up, after what felt like an hour of being silent. He looked in Peggy’s direction. “You aren’t dating?”

The group burst into laughter, Peggy choking on her food. Hercules covered his mouth while peering at Alexander across the gym, who paid them no attention. 

“Alex and I never even considered dating. That’s like trying to date your sister- nasty.” Peggy shook her head at the thought and made a face. A look of realization dawned on Angelica’s face. “Unless he had a secret relationship, I don’t think he’s ever dated before.”

“He only kissed her because he was trying to piss you off.” Angelica snorted. 

Thomas didn’t like his rival one bit, but he was certainly curious to know more. Who were these girls and how did they know Alexander?

“How did you meet Alex?” Elizabeth asked him. 

“Ah, um, we’re co-workers.” All three girls shared a concerned look. “You?”

“Well, Angie met him in 8th grade. She was in the same grade as him, because he skipped. Since he was at our house a lot, she introduced us.” Eliza explained. The three must be sisters then, which explained a lot. “Peg was only a year younger than him and I was the same age, we ended up hanging out a lot.” 

“He was a lot different back then,” Peggy remarked, deep in thought. 

“Eh, I met him when he joined Double-A Corp. He seems about the same as he always was.” Hercules sighed, becoming uninterested in the conversation. Apparently discussing when they met Alexander was not as exciting as the debate on Alexander’s sexuality. 

Thomas was surprised- to casually drop the Agency’s name in front of a large group when unneeded wasn’t really a great idea. 

“I’m surprised you two managed to get along. He was so headstrong when he first joined. And still an ass.” Angelica replied. 

“Who’s an ass?” Unknown to the group, Alexander had walked into the cafe. He was drenched in sweat, a towel hanging around his neck. With one earbud blasting music into his skull, Thomas was surprised he could hear them at all. Angelica got up and ripped the earbud out of his ear.

“You.” She told him. She looked him up and down. “You look like hell.” 

“Thanks, I just got back.” Alexander flipped his hair back and gave her an award-winning smile. 

“Dammmmmmn.” One of the girls sitting across the table whispered, but it went unheard by Alexander. 

“What did you expect? He’s Satan, after all.” Hercules stood up and walked over, joining Angelica. 

“Demon from Hell, at your service.” Alexander gave a mock bow. 

“Remember the time when he actually made business cards? What was that, freshman year?” Peggy laughed, recalling the event. Alexander turned beet red at the memory. 

“I was a kid.” He defended himself. 

“You were a weirdo, no cap.” Hercules summed up. Alexander looked disgusted. 

“Herc, please never say those words again. You’re not cute enough to say no cap anymore.” For once, Thomas agreed. It didn’t feel right to hear a grown man say ‘no cap’. 

“So I was cute at one point then?” Hercules batted his eyes and tried not to laugh at himself. In response, Alexander balled up his towel and threw it at Hercules. He had surprisingly good aim, managing to hit Hercules in the chest. “Ew, cooties!” 

Alexander flipped Hercules off with a smile, before turning around to walk to the bathroom. 

“See you tomorrow, ladies!” He called out, waving as he left. Everyone began to drift away from the cafe slowly, finishing up their coffee and food. It was now 6 AM, so the original group had said their goodbyes and was replaced by a new crowd. 

Thomas got up after a while, unsure of where to go. Should he find Alexander? That probably wasn’t a great idea- Alexander might really start thinking of him as a stalker if he did that. Should he head to work? It was way too early. Besides, Thomas was allowed to take the day off. 

Deciding that he should head home, Thomas went into his bag and grabbed his car keys. He realized that his car was back at the agency- he had walked here, following Alexander. 

‘That’s it, I’m taking the day off. I’m tired, sore, and don’t feel like doing any work.’ He dialed John Adams, who was his direct supervisor. Adams may not have been his favorite person, but they usually got along well. But John Adam must not have been in a good mood this morning, because the call somehow reached Washington instead. 

Washington told him that he was allowed to take the morning off, but Thomas would need to come in for about ten minutes that afternoon. He agreed and hung up. He also called a taxi, not wanting to walk anymore.

Thomas moved towards the parking lot where his taxi was waiting when yet another question hit him. 

Why didn’t Alexander have a car?


	6. The Case

Alexander had absolutely no clue what had gone on this morning. By the time he arrived at HQ, he was almost convinced that what had happened with Jefferson had been a dream. 

There was no way that Jefferson would ever follow him to the gym and then talk with his friends. Absolutely no way on earth. Wasn’t even possible. Alexander didn’t know much about Jefferson, but he did know that Jefferson wasn’t crazy. So unless Jefferson had caught a cold that made him lose his mind, this morning had been nothing more than a dream. 

Alexander sat at his desk, staring down at a map. He was circling enemy military troop movements, trying to predict their next attack. It wasn’t his job. The assignment actually had very little to do with him. He was supposed to be _helping_ a Rookie with her assignment. 

But based on the fact that the Rookie stood behind him, staring awkwardly, he wasn’t really helping- he was doing it for her. He tapped his foot as he was focusing, taking the tiny chess pieces he kept in his desk and moving them across the map. Within minutes, he had finished the assignment, explained it to the Rookie, and sent her on her way. 

Alexander had been given the day off and Washington was refusing to assign him any work. The result was Rookies usually ended up approaching Alexander for help, since he would gladly do the assignment for them. However, after the last Rookie left, no other Rookies came to see him. 

Alexander became bored quite quickly. Washington had forbidden him from using the training room, the archives, and the office computers. ‘Even _report duty_ would be better than this.’ Alexander thought to himself, grumpy. 

After a few minutes of spinning idly in his computer chair, he could no longer bear not having something to focus on. Too many thoughts were flooding his mind, with nowhere to direct them. 

He picked up his phone and checked to see if there was anything to do. But there was not a single missed call, text, or email. He tossed it back onto the table, not really caring where it landed. It fell onto the floor, under his desk. 

“For fuck’s sake…” Alexander kicked his desk. Today was not a good day. But when was it ever? Alexander bent down to grab his phone and realized he couldn’t see it. He sat back up to get his glasses. Putting his nerdy glasses onto his face, he bent down again. 

And like Alexander thought before, today was not a good day. His glasses promptly slid off of his face when he leaned down again. In anger, he sat straight up- his colliding with the desk in the process. 

“Motherfucker!” He yelled, holding his throbbing head with two hands and bending over. The door to his office squeaked open, but Alexander paid it no mind. His head hurt too badly, although the pain was fading fast. 

“All good in here?” It was Robert Troup, the agency lawyer who had entered. Robert Troup had taught Alexander when he first entered the agency, so the two were originally close. They drifted apart after Alexander became a full-fledged agent, but they were on good terms. 

“I dropped my phone and my glasses.” He sat up and looked at Troup. Troup walked over and began searching the floor. “Hey, I can find my own stuff.”

“Liar. You can’t see shit without your contacts.” Troup turned on his phone light and found both the phone and his glasses in seconds. He held them out to Alexander, who carefully placed them on the table. “Funny- you’ve been working here for nine years… but you’re still the same disorganized trainwreck you were when you first joined.” 

Alexander glanced around his office. He couldn’t see much or far. But from what he could see, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Papers were scattered over the floor and maps limply hung off the walls. Disposable coffee cups took up over half of the office at the moment… where the hell was housekeeping when you needed it? 

“It’s not that bad…” Alexander sighed, knowing it _was_ that bad. 

“Just like your coffee addiction isn’t that bad?” Troup cracked a smile, knowing that he wouldn’t ever admit that he was disorganized or that he had a coffee addiction. Alexander knew that too. 

“I can have four cups of coffee a day before it might be unsafe. Probably five or six, with my weight.” At this, Troup snorted. 

“You talk like you’re over one hundred.” Alexander slowly rose from his seat, trying to find something to do. 

“I’m one hundred and ten pounds, thank you very much.” 

“With or without someone standing on the back of the scale?” At that, Alexander gave a mock punch to Troup’s stomach. 

“If you were standing on the back of the scale, it’d probably add an extra fifty pounds.” Troup smacked the back of Alexander’s head. Alexander stomped on his shoe, without much force. 

“Well, I should get going, Hamilton. I’ve been asked to look into legal matters in another country- god knows what they need it for.” Troup rolled his eyes, before saying goodbye to go back to his own work. 

Alexander was left on his own once more. The silence felt suffocating. His head began to throb as thoughts flooded through. The need to move and focus struck him again. Breathing became harder as less and less pleasant thoughts filled his head. 

_Shut up._

_Shut up._

_Shut UP._

Alexander slammed his fist into his desk, a wave of pain riding through his system. It wasn’t much, but it meant he was still alive, still here, still human. He took a deep breath before moving away from his desk and into the center of the office. He began to quietly pace, counting up to sixty before starting over again. 

“Alexander!” Someone yelled, appearing next to him. Alexander whipped around, in a fighting stance. 

“Jesus Christ, it’s just you,” He breathed a sigh of relief, finding the Rookie from early standing next to him. The Rookie had a look of concern on her face. “Also, it’s Hamilton. Don’t call me Alexander.” 

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” She whispered, a red tint coming to her face. “It’s just, um, well, I’ve been trying to get your attention for ten minutes now…” 

Alexander flushed, looking at the ground where he had paced. He forced himself to mold his face into an apologetic but not embarrassed smile. 

“Don’t worry about it. Apologies for not hearing you.” Alexander tilted his head and smiled. “May I have your name?” 

“It’s Rebecca.” The girl looked down. She had probably been trained never to be prideful or cocky in front of a superior. Alexander stuck his hand out. 

“Well, Rebecca, you can look up if you’d like.” Rebecca met his eyes, confused. She reached out and shook his hand, still confused. “In case you haven’t noticed, rules don’t apply in this room. Do whatever the hell you want here.” 

She looked shocked. It wasn’t common for a superior to allow Rookies to enter their office without permission, let alone tell them to “Do whatever the hell you want”, so Alexander understood her confusion. 

“Um, Mr. Hamilton-” Rebecca started. Alexander cut her off. 

“Oh, god, just call me Alexander. I’m not that old yet.” Rebecca broke into quiet giggles and Alexander chuckled as well. “I’ll go get coffee. Stay here and set up your assignment.” 

When Alexander returned to the room, Rebecca had pulled a chair behind the desk. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking around curiously. He handed her a steamy cup of coffee and sat in his chair. 

“Nothing in this room bites, usually,” Alexander said, jokingly. “Now, let’s get down to it.” 

For the three hours, they sat side by side while Alexander patiently taught her how to complete the assignment. Teaching and explaining had always been something he was good at when he wanted to be. When he first joined, his superiors had fought over where to place him. He had a few different options, but he ended up as a field agent by Command’s orders. 

“Alexander.” Jefferson stood in the doorway. Alexander sighed, completely ignoring what happened this morning. 

“Stop calling me by my first name. We’re not friends.” Alexander didn’t look at him, choosing to favor Rebecca’s work instead. Jefferson leaned on the door frame.

“Aw, did you forget about this morning?” Jefferson cooed, patronizingly. In response, Alexander tossed a pen into the wall, inches away from where Jefferson was leaning. Alexander may not have been the biggest or strongest man around, but he did have a deadly aim. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, nor do I want too.” Alexander shifted and looked up at him slowly. If Jefferson had been anyone else, he probably would have been intimidated by the unpleasant look Alexander gave him. Rebecca certainly was. But Jefferson was, well, Jefferson. It would take more than a nasty look to make him scared. 

“Uh-huh, whatever you say.” Jefferson raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth. Alexander shot out of his seat, ready to yell at Jefferson (and maybe beat him up as well). “Washington said to get your ass in his office.” 

Alexander took a breath and wiped the angry looked off of his face. He pulled the hairband back further, tightening his ponytail. He took another breath before bidding Rebecca goodbye and following Jefferson out. 

The walk to Washington’s office was fairly quiet. A weight had settled in Alexander’s stomach like he knew that something bad was going to be waiting. His gut feeling was rarely wrong. Upon reaching the door, he hesitated before following Jefferson inside the room. 

What was waiting inside the room was unexpected. Lafayette, Hercules, John, Burr, Peggy, Angelica, Eliza, Madison, Lee, and Seabury were casually chatting with each other. Upon entering, Lafayette and John flew over to him- since Lafayette had been in France with his family and John had been working, so they hadn’t seen him in a long time. 

The cheerful reunion continued on for a few more minutes, but the feeling Alexander had only continued to grow. Washington was nowhere to be found. John brought up the idea of taking a picture, which he vehemently refused. The people in the room were loud and cheerful, without care. Alexander, on the other hand, held an expression of anxiety. He bit his lip and rubbed his thumb over the inside of his wrist. 

At long last, Washington came into the room. Washington had a serious face filled with insomnia and fatigue, much like Alexander’s. The people in the room went quiet as he took a seat at his desk. Adam stood not too far away from Washington, who also looked equally unhappy. Chairs had been placed around the room and the party sat down silently. 

“Alright, everyone.” Washington looked around the room, as though he was making sure everyone was there. “We received a case from the FBI today.” 

A murmur ran through the room. Cases that police couldn’t handle were often sent their way, but the FBI was usually on top of their cases. It had been over two years since the FBI handed them a case. This couldn't be a good sign.

“Silence!” Adam’s voice rang through the room. Not a single word was uttered after that point. Washington gave a heavy sigh and began to speak again. 

“The reason they gave it to us is that no one knows that you all are members of the agency. Any FBI agent that attempted to investigate this matter ended up dead less than twenty-four hours later.” Everyone’s eyes went wide with shock and horror. Although the agency members were stronger and better trained than most FBI agents if they were being murdered within twenty-four hours of being assigned the case… well, it’s safe to say that the possibility of death was very real. 

“I am now going to give all of you the chance to leave the room and pretend that you were never called here. You may be brutally murdered for even hearing about this case. Is there anyone who would like to go?” Washington looked around once more, watching everyone shake their heads. “Alright, Adams… present the details.” 

“Four weeks ago, two children were kidnapped. They resided at Bellemont Children’s home. The children were named Jamison Zelline and Anna Leeway. One boy and one girl.” The group stayed silent as pictures of the two were handed out. “A week after that, Marissa Dayison and Robert Howard went missing. They lived in Saint John’s Orphanage. One boy and one girl.” 

Eyes went wide around the group. Even Adams paused, soaking everything in. Who on earth would kidnap children, particularly orphans? And why one boy and one girl? 

“Two weeks ago, Nico Synder and Jane Kirsten went missing from Haley Orphans Home. And last week, Cassandra Francis and Peter Layttin, from Saint Mary’s Orphanage.” Alexander felt sick. Legitimately sick. Both Alexander and Burr stood up at the same time and walked toward the door. 

Alexander had thought this was a bad day before. Between pulling an all-nighter, forgetting to eat breakfast before coming in, and having a diet of coffee, it made sense that Alexander would be sick. But this was a whole different kind of sick. 

Alexander vomited into the toilet bowl he had somehow managed to get himself to in time, but he only had one thought…

Today was only going to get worse.


	7. Agent Files

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you have any feedback, I sure could use it!

Thomas felt sick. Although murder and kidnapping cases often came to the agency, to think that someone had been kidnapping orphans was a horrible thought. One boy and one girl from each orphanage… the only possibilities Thomas could think of was some sort of satanic ritual or the blackmarket. 

“And last week, Cassandra Francis and Peter Layttin, from Saint Mary’s Orphanage-” Adams didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before both Alexander and Burr jumped up. Burr leaned over after standing up, his hand on his mouth. He looked like he was about to cry, scream, or both. 

Alexander, on the other hand, looked shell shocked. He looked confused as to why he was standing. He swayed from side to side for a moment, pale and sickly. He swallowed and blinked, before walking out unsteadily. Burr excused himself and did the same. 

Thomas knew this case was upsetting, but these two were different than they usually were. Burr was an excellent assassin, so shouldn’t death be fairly common? Although this case did involve children, Burr usually went by the words of “Talk less, smile more”... meaning that any amount of emotion from him was rare. 

Alexander was also acting strangely. The Alexander that Thomas knew was loud, arrogant, and focused. He had never reacted poorly to receiving a case. Other than anger, determination, and neutrality, he never showed any other emotions. This morning had been the first time Thomas had seen Alexander show any amount of happiness or real affection towards another member of the same race. 

When Thomas walked into the room, he hadn’t expected the odd mixture inside of it. He hadn’t even known that Angelica, Eliza, Peggy, or Hercules were part of the agency. This was also his first time meeting John. The group had been joyful and fun. Alexander smiled brightly when approached, but once the attention turned elsewhere, his smile was replaced by an anxious frown and creased eyebrows. Thomas felt something was off with this last minute meeting and Alexander felt it too. 

“Hamilton-” Charles Lee called out. It was rude and impolite the leave in the middle of a superior’s report without even excusing yourself. Adams cut him off. 

“No.” Adams spoke sharply. 

“Sir, with all due respect-” Lee began. 

“With all due respect, shut the fuck up. If I was him, I’d walk out too. I don’t want to fucking be here right now either. So if you don’t shut up, I’ll make it so you won’t have a choice.” Adams spoke a little too aggressively. It was surprising for him. Adams may have been prone to emotional outbursts, but Lee and Adams got along well. Washington rubbed his temples silently, his frown ever growing. 

“Adams, tone it down. This subject is incredibly upsetting for all of us, don’t make it worse.” Washington spoke in a tone similar to a father’s. Adams opened his mouth to say something and shut it, thinking better of saying something else. Washington took a stack of files from inside a cabinet behind his desk. Setting the files at the edge of the desk, he began to speak. “We have very little information on this case, other than the names and photos of the victims. There are seemingly no similarities between the victims at all, other than one girl and one boy each time.” 

“You all will be sent to one of the victim's orphanages within the city. You’ll go in pairs to investigate. We’ll be sending you in waves… the date of when you’re to move out is in your file. The pairings will be as follows…” Washington explained as clearly as he could. “Mulligan, P. Schuyler. Laurence, A. Schyuler. Seabury, Lee. Lafayette, E. Schuyler. Madison, Burr. Jefferson, Hamilton. Any questions?” 

The room was silent as everyone shook their heads. Jefferson didn’t even bother to fight his pairing. Washington cleared his throat. 

“If you have any questions, you know where to find me. The archives and all other rooms are open to you. If you don’t know your partner well, the agent files are always open to you. I recommend you read up about your partner… If you need to fight, knowing their fighting style would be very useful. Come grab your files, then you can go.” Washington stood up and walked briskly towards the door. “Dismissed.” 

The people left began talking with their partners in hushed tones. Some of the pairings were rather unusual, but Thomas didn’t think much about it. He grabbed his file and headed towards the bathroom to wash up. 

Entering the bathroom, he found Alexander washing his face in the sink. Washing wasn’t really the word- more like passive aggressively splashing water on it. Thomas saw his bloodshot eyes and figured he should at least ask if he was okay. 

“Are you-” He started, but was quickly interrupted. 

“Fine. Just peachy.” Alexander grumbled, continuing what he had been doing. 

“Then why-” Thomas began, but was interrupted again. 

“Allergic reaction. Ate pineapple and this is the result.” Damn… it was like Alexander knew exactly what he was going to say. 

“Shouldn’t you see a doctor then?” Thomas had the feeling that this quote on quote 'Allergic reaction’ wasn’t really the problem. It probably had something to do with the case. Alexander ignored this and sighed. 

“Weather’s nice today. Perfect drinking weather.” Although it was a clear attempt to change the topic, Thomas didn’t give in.

“Probably shouldn’t drink if you just had an allergic reaction. Seriously, why are you so upset about this case? I’ve never seen you care about another human being before-” Alexander’s face turned to one of anger. Thomas had smashed a button that he didn’t even know existed. 

“First of all, I’m not upset. I said I had an allergic reaction, so just leave it at that.” Alexander’s tone was aggressive. His face wasn’t angery like it usually was. Instead of being brightly lit up and passionate, it was showing something much darker that Thomas couldn’t put his finger on. “Even if I was upset, I think I have a right to be upset about orphans just randomly disappearing. Especially if they’re from my-” 

Alexander froze mid sentence and shook his head. He turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel, drying his face off. 

“From your what?” Thomas leaned forward, feeling as though he was missing something incredibly important.

“Just drop it. I don’t want to talk about it.” Alexander marched out of the bathroom, letting the door swing wildly behind him. Thomas gave a confused sigh, feeling stuck. Why was this the man he had been partnered with? Would they really be able to work well enough together to help with a case? Why was Alexander so upset over something he usually wouldn’t be?

The questions continued to pile on top of each other, one by one. Thomas should really make a list at this point. But he probably would never get answers, so why bother?

“ _ The archives and all other rooms are open to you. If you don’t know your partner well, the agent files are always open to you, _ ” Washington’s voice came back to him. 

‘Bingo.’ He thought. Even if no one personally knew anything about Alexander, the agency would have to know at least the basics. Confident that the reports would have something, Thomas proceeded to exit the bathroom and head over. 

The room where the agent files were kept didn’t look special. It reminded Thomas of when McDonald’s had been in business, with the white machines that would take your order. There was a seat, a printer, and a curtain that could be pulled around the machine. But otherwise, it looked similar to McDonalds. 

McDonalds had replaced all human workers with robots, so when the government outlawed companies without at least ten human workers per store, they went bankrupt. While it was truly a shame to think about it, Thomas had other things to do. He slid into the seat, set the file on his lap, and pulled the curtain closed. 

Placing his hand on the device, he signed in. The machine loaded for a moment.

“Welcome, Agent Jefferson. How may I assist you today?” The machine spoke in a robotic but not altogether unpleasant voice. Five options on the screen appeared… ‘Normal Files’ was the first, offering access to any regular citizen. The second was ‘Classified Files’, meaning high ranking government officials as well as anyone they deemed regular agents shouldn’t have access too. The third, ‘Restricted Information’. This referred to old cases, ongoing cases, and new cases that weren’t publicly known. There were only two buttons left. ‘Other Options’ or ‘Agent Files’. 

Clicking on ‘Agent Files’, the machine buzzed red. It asked him for his hand print again and then for the other hand. After it allowed him authority, a search bar and a keyboard popped up. As he typed Alexander’s name in, he felt a slight pang of guilt. If Alexander didn’t tell him, he probably shouldn’t dig his nose. The guilt quickly passed as curiosity took its place. 

Within seconds, Alexander’s file was right in front of his nose. He clicked and it opened the file that would tell him information on his rival and now partner.

\------------------------------------------

First Name: Alexander 

Middle Name: N/A

Last Name: Hamilton

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Height: 5’4”

Weight: 108 lbs

Address: 

Room 402

7105 Aveyard Road

New York City, New York 63721

Date of Birth: January 11th, 3002 [UNKNOWN BY OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION]

Place of Birth: [UNKNOWN BY OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION]

Parent(s): Rachel Faucette (Mother)/James A. Hamilton (Father)

Legal Guardians: State Custody 

-Family Members-

Rachel Faucette: Mother (Deceased)

James A. Hamilton: Father (Deceased)

James Jr. Hamilton: Brother (Deceased)

Peter Lytton: Cousin (Deceased)

-Education-

Alexander Hamilton received his GED at age 14, upon completion of 8th grade. He studied King's College and graduated three years later, at age 17. After graduating with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in English, he joined the agency. 

-Strengths/Weaknesses-

Agent Hamilton is skilled with long-range attacks as well as ambushes. He is incredibly intelligent and has a talent for strategy. Agent Hamilton focuses on the short-term when in combat. Fiercely independent and loyal, injuries are common on field missions. 

Agent Hamilton lacks physical strength in combat. After the opponent grabs Agent Hamilton, the battle typically ends within minutes. Speed and intelligence make up for this. Reckless decisions, as well as choices that involve self-endangerment, have become less of an occurrence recently but are still present on certain field missions. 

-Childhood-

[CLASSIFIED]

  
  
  
  


-Agency History-

Joined: November 6th, 3011 [Age 17]

Rank C-1: November 6th, 3012 [Age 18]

Rank C-2: January 2nd, 3013 [Age 19]

Rank C-3: August 14th, 3014 [Age 20]

Rank 0: December 22nd, 3014 [Age 20]

-Personal Life-

[UNAVAILABLE]

-Other Notes-

Agent Hamilton, Agent Burr, and Schuyler Agents attended the same middle school.

Agent Hamilton and Agent Burr resided in Saint Mary’s Orphanage until Agent Burr left at age 18. 

\------------------------------------------

‘Fuck-’ Thomas thought to himself. He logged off the computer and left the room abruptly.

He owed Alexander one hell of an apology. 


	8. The Bar

Alexander had grabbed the file from Washington’s desk, packed up his stuff, and left HQ with record time. He was out the door and walking down the street before realizing that he hadn’t said goodbye to any of his friends. He was too angry to feel guilty and continued walking. 

By the time Alexander reached the city’s center, night had fallen. Although the day had been hot, the night was excruciatingly cold. His “office wear” was designed to be light and cooling, in case he had to fight. So he might as well forget about being warm. 

Alexander wandered around the square for a bit, unsure of where to go. He wasn’t quite ready to return to his empty apartment. But it was getting colder as the hour grew later. He could practically feel himself shaking. 

He looked around before a neon sign caught his eye. ‘It’s a bar.’ Alexander thought, not sure what to think. He was legally allowed to drink, but he didn’t do it often. He never remembered what happened after he drank, so he usually opted to avoid it. 

But tonight was different. He could feel the fatigue and unrest settling inside of him, ready to eat him alive. A few drinks would take his mind off of the case and everything else. Besides, he wasn’t scheduled to depart to the orphanage for four days. Having a couple of drinks never killed anyone. 

Alexander took a deep breath before walking over to the bar. The bouncer asked for his ID, which was something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Alexander never went anywhere that would require an ID. Alexander reached into his pocket to grab his ID card when his phone started buzzing aggressively. He held up a hand to the bouncer and stood off to the side. Clicking the green button, his ears began to ring. 

“Où es-tu?! Nous sommes allés chez vous et vous n'étiez pas là. Il est 23h, sur quoi pouvez-vous travailler à cette heure? Vous pourriez être mort, pour tout ce que je sais! Si vous continuez à faire des choix aussi imprudents-” Lafayette buzzed angerily in his ear, like a paranoid mother. Alexander’s french had gotten rusty, but he understood the gist of it… Lafayette and the gang had probably gone to his house for drinks. Since he wasn’t there, they had gotten worried. Alexander failed to see how he would be dead and how eleven at night was late, for a grown man. 

“Calm down, Lafayette. I’m not dead.” Alexander figured it was best to interrupt Lafayette before he really got down and lectured Alexander. 

“And I was supposed to know that how, mon ami? You haven’t been answering your phone.” Lafayette seemed to be calming down.

“I put it on mute for a moment. The only reason I have a phone at all is because of work, otherwise, I’d throw it in the river.” He rolled his eyes, annoyed. Lafayette was becoming more like a mom by the minute.

“What _are_ you doing out this late? It’s eleven already… you’re either home or still at HQ by now.” The phone made Lafeyette’s voice sound louder than it really was and it was giving Alexander a headache. 

“I’m about to get a couple of drinks. I could certainly use them, after today.” Alexander shifted the phone from one ear to the other. He could practically hear the shock in Lafayette's silence. “I’m a grown man, Laf. Eleven isn’t late and it’s not like I’m ever going to be kidnapped. We both know they’d return me within minutes.” 

They both laughed at that. Alexander always had a tendency to run his mouth, not knowing when to shut up. It had been a common joke between the group that if Alexander was ever kidnapped, all he had to do is start talking about his opinion on the government and they’d return him with an apology letter. 

“Vous ne pouvez pas boire seul!” Lafayette declared. The translation was ‘You cannot drink alone!’. Meaning that Lafayette and the group planned on joining him. Alexander panicked at the thought, hoping to be alone for tonight. 

“Actually, Laf-” He struggled in finding the right words, but Lafayette was quick to stop him. 

“We will be there soon! Cheers, Alexander!” The line went dead and Alexander sighed. He hadn’t told them where he was, so he placed his phone on airplane mode. Since it was illegal to hack outside of work, he should be safe. But with this group, chances were slim that they wouldn’t do it anyway. 

Alexander slipped into the bar, showing the bouncer his ID card. He took a seat at the counter and asked for a shot of vodka. He was only there for one drink, so if he knocked this one back, he’d feel better and go home. 

Unfortunately, one shot of vodka led to another. A second led to a third and a third led to a fourth. Before long, a very tipsy Alexander was playing darts. After his sixth shot, Alexander was officially drunk. He was nearing blackout drunk, loud and rambunctious. An unknown man grabbed his shoulders. Upon closer inspection, the man was also drunk.

“Eyyyyyy, kid. Yooooooou, meeeeeee, drinkingggg competition. I’ll pay.” The man slurred almost every single word but was steady on his feet. At that moment, John, Hercules, Lafayette, Madison, and Jefferson walked into the bar, unknown to Alexander.

“That sounds-” Alexander started to say before someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He went to bat the hand away, but he nearly fell over. He wasn’t quite as good a drinker as he liked to say he was. 

“Like an exceptionally horrific idea,” John replied for him. Alexander spun the barstool around to look at John. Alexander was a mess- his hair was screaming for a brush, his face had a drunken red blush on it, and he wasn’t even remotely steady on his feet. 

“I think it sounds exceptionally perfect,” Alexander giggled and picked up a suction cup dart nearby. He threw it in John’s general direction, missing wildly. This must have been hilarious because he laughed himself silly. Hercules and Lafeyette laughed openly, while John tried to hide his laughter. Madison and Jefferson looked dumbfounded, unsure of how to react. 

“Don’t worry, mon ami.” Lafayette directed this towards Jefferson. Alexander was too drunk to notice or care. “If you can get him talking about middle school, this will be the most entertaining night of your life.” 

The other group members took their seats and ordered drinks. Alexander tried to order another shot, but the motion was denied by the entire group. Someone handed him a can of National instead. 

“Ey, guys… did Burr ever tell ya ‘bout the time I hacked the school network?” Alexander grinned devilishly, having a great time already. 

“No, but you gotta tell me that one!” John bounced excitedly, sipping on his drink. 

“I wanna hear this,” Lafayette announced. 

“Same here.” Hercules nodded. 

“You _what_?!” Jefferson and Madison managed to squeak at the same time. 

“Boy, you’re in for a story!” Alexander drunkenly laughed. 

And boy was he right…

They indeed in for quite a story.


	9. Totally Not Drunk

Thomas didn’t know how the hell things ended up this way. He had gone to Alexander’s office to apologize to him. Hercules, Laurence, and Lafeyette were already there. Alexander had gone home, which was concerning on a whole different level.

Alexander hadn’t answered his phone. The gang decided to head to his house, Thomas getting dragged along. Laurence was brilliant with technology, so he decided upon the brilliant idea of hacking into Alexander’s phone. This was probably due to a couple of beers that they had already had, but it was still a terrible idea. Madison showed up before they left to go find Alexander, so he tagged along too. 

By the time they reached the bar, Alexander was thoroughly drunk. He was laughing and cheerfully recounting the time when he hacked into the school network. 

“The school didn’t have internet for three days!” Alexander and the group laughed at his past antics. “I sure had my fifteen minutes of fame then. I was hotter than Hot Topic!” 

The group burst into laughter, including James. Hercules was almost as drunk as Alexander. Lafayette and James were fairly tipsy. Laurence was only a little buzzed, so he wasn’t acting completely crazy. 

“You, a hot topic? Come on, man!” Hercules slapped Alexander on his back. Alexander began choking on his National. He coughed for a minute, before standing up. 

“I am the _hottest_ topic.” He declared loud enough for the entire bar to hear. Several people in the bar laughed at him. Thomas took a sip of his drink, feeling embarrassed. 

“Your parents didn’t care?” James commented. Thomas tensed, really wishing that he could disappear. 

“Well, considering that they’re in the ground, I’d have to say no.” Alexander snorted, not seeming like he had any care about the topic. He plopped back into his seat.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry-” James began to gush.

“Not like you killed them. Did you?” He asked, slightly confused.

“Um, no,” James muttered in response, just as confused. Laurence patted Alexander’s back. 

“Dead-beat dad.” He muttered, his eyes crossing. 

“Hey, it’s wrong to talk-”

“Like that?” Alexander smiled in the devil-may-care grin. “I’ll have you know that I may not think everything through… but I don’t take back what I say or regret what I do.” 

“Oh, god…” John muttered. 

“Some people might stay in line and stick to the plan, but me- I’ll do whatever I can. That’s what I’m here for. There’s no time to wait around anymore… I’m done waiting around for someone to meet the expectations that I can meet myself!” Alexander spoke passionately, with vigor. “I’m not going to standby and wait for god to help me if he hasn’t ever done so before!” 

Hercules and Lafeyette cheered. Laurence drank to that, while Thomas and James stayed silent. Alexander called for another shot of vodka. No one refused him this time. The evening went back to being cheerful and loud, even James forgetting about Alexander’s outburst. 

But it still weighed on Thomas’s mind. The way his eyes had a hidden ocean of sadness behind them. The way he smiled when speaking of death. The way passion hid the clear unhappiness. The way in which Alexander chose to get drunk today when he rarely touched a drop before. 

“We should take over the world! I’ll be king, John will be advisor, Herc can be a military thing. Laf can be in charge of something.” Alexander slurred every single world and laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. 

“What can Jefferson do?” Lafeyette asked, just as drunk as Alexander. 

“Fuck off.” Alexander nearly fell off the stool in an attempt to spin around. 

“You’re drunk.” John sat him up on the stool again. 

“No, you’re drunk. You’re pretty when you’re drunk.” 

“Very drunk.” James agreed. 

“Totally not drunk.” 

It soon reached 2 AM. This bar was open twenty-four hours, as were many of the city's bars. But Alexander and Lafeyette were passed out on the counter and Hercules was nearing alcohol poisoning. While James, Laurence, and Thomas were all fine, it was probably better to get out of there before trouble started. 

“So, who takes who?” James sighed. They had to get the three drunkards home somehow, so it made sense that each non-drunk person would take one of them home. 

“I think I’m the only one who can handle Hercules.” Laurence looked around to see nods of agreement. Thomas certainly didn’t want to handle Hercules, who was currently hitting on the barista. That left Lafayette and Alexander. 

“I’m taking Lafayette. Sorry, Thomas, but I’m not up for dealing with Hamilton tonight.” Before Thomas could protest, James grabbed Lafeyette and was pulling him out of the bar. 

‘This sucks ass.’ Thomas wasn’t happy about the arrangement. He might not _hate_ Alexander, but driving him home wasn’t something on his bucket list. He shook Alexander, who wouldn’t wake up.

Grumbling, he lifted Alexander onto his back. He weighed almost nothing. The man wrapped his arms around Thomas’s neck. Thomas shifted the short man to a better position before carrying him out of the car. He laid the man down in the back of the car and draped his coat over him. 

“Must have been really upset today, to go drinking.” Thomas had settled into the front seat and started the car. Alexander shifted and spoke softly. 

“Mmm, just not ready to go back yet. Not there.” His eyes remained closed. This was a perfect opportunity to question him. An intoxicated Alexander was a defenseless one. 

“Why?” Thomas asked. 

“Don’t like it there. Bad memories…” Thomas didn’t know what this meant. He started driving towards Alexander’s house, remembering the address. 

“Did they treat you poorly?” 

“Nah… Nana did her best. But some things… can’t be helped.” 

“What things?” 

“Him.” That was all the answer Alexander was willing to give, at this moment. 

“Hey, Alex, what did you want to be when you grew up?” 

“Teacher. Or government official, as a second choice.” A teacher… that was a surprising career choice to Thomas. Alexander had very little patience and was an active person with the need to move. Could young Alexander be different from this older version? 

“What happened?” Thomas spoke softer than Alexander did. 

“Mmm… I got banned from the debate team. Apparently you can’t tell someone that a dog speaks more eloquently, even if it’s true. Shame.” He didn't understand how this related to not becoming a teacher, but he was curious. 

“Was that the only insult?” 

“Do I seem like a one insult kind of guy?” 

“What else did you tell him?” 

“That he should shut his mouth because his stupidity was getting all over me. Wasn’t what got me banned, surprisingly.” 

“What got you banned then?”

“I told him he was the poster child for birth control.” Thomas choked, laughing. They may not share the same sense of humor, but _damn_ \- that was one hell of a burn. 

The car fell into a comfortable silence, as the two made their way downtown. Soon, they arrived in what Thomas liked to call “the bad part” of town. Most people were asleep, but some stood on the streets smoking and drinking. Why Alexander would live here, when he had plenty of money, was a myth. Didn’t make sense. 

He pulled up to an apartment building. Alexander had fallen asleep again, so he placed him on his back and carried him into the building. Alexander snored softly into Thomas’s shirt. 

A mixture of feelings hit Thomas at once. What was it? Guilt? Sadness? Regret? He didn’t know. Whatever it was, he didn’t like it. He ignored the feelings and kicked the mat up, where he found a spare key to the apartment. He shifted Alexander to pick it up, unlocked the door, and walked in. 

Whatever he was expecting, it certainly wasn’t this. The apartment was small and almost completely empty. A bed and a dresser stood in the corner. A desk covered in papers was on the opposite wall. A lamp was next to the desk. But other than that, the apartment had no decorations or anything that would make it look even remotely homely. It looked like a prison. 

He walked in and shut the door with his foot. He dumped Alexander onto the bed, which hadn’t been made in forever. The short man shifted to a more comfortable position. Thomas looked down. 

‘Damn, he isn’t half bad looking when he keeps his mouth shut.’ Thomas’s eyes widened. He could _not_ be thinking that Alexander was good looking. 

But Alexander _was_ good looking. That was the issue. If he had a sense of fashion and took care of himself, he’d probably have a date by now. But then that was another issue. Alexander already had plenty of female admires. All he’d have to do is ask one out. 

Thomas sat at the desk on the other side of the apartment. Was Alexander really gay, or did he just not have time to date? It was yet another question mark that Thomas hated. 

‘What the hell? Why do I even care?’ Thomas kicked the leg of the desk. The desk shook violently, almost breaking. Alexander definitely needed some new furniture. He didn’t understand why Alexander lived in a shithole with no furniture. What was he doing with his paycheck? Feeding it to the wind? 

Thomas glanced back over to the sleeping Alexander. Something melted in his heart, seeing Alexander look so peaceful. Maybe he really did like this man? Had the arrogant shortie taken a place in his heart? Thomas shuffled over to the bed and squatted so he was at eye level with the man.

Gently removing the hair tie, he smiled to himself. He brushed the hair out of Alexander’s eyes. Thomas’s heart pounded inside his ribcage. Standing up abruptly, he made his way to the door.

He looked back once more before leaving the apartment. 

“Goodnight, Alexander.”


	10. Time to Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is fairly fluffy! It's a little short, but I hope you'll forgive me. 
> 
> Also, the way the character thinks of another character is how they'll be referred to, when in their perspective. For example, since Thomas Jefferson thinks of Alexander Hamilton as just "Alexander", that's how he'll be referred too. 
> 
> If something changes the way someone refers to someone else, it'll change the name used in the story as well.

The next three days passed devastatingly slow. Between spending time at the gym, staring at the information about the case, writing down whatever he could think of, and getting new contacts (his old ones had been lost around the apartment), Alexander’s schedule was nowhere near as packed as he wanted it to be. 

Washington had forbidden him from entering the office, probably in hopes of having Alexander catch up on some rest. But everytime he closed his eyes, anxiety and depression hit like a trainwreck. So instead of rest, training took its place. Hercules started kicking him out of the gym around midnight, so pacing the floor from one till six became routine. 

On day four, he threw together his essential and headed to HQ. It was the meeting spot, where Jefferson had agreed to drive them to Saint Mary’s. Alexander could  _ technically  _ drive, but he didn’t have a license. Plus, not being able to drive forced him to walk everywhere, making him memorize every nook and cranny of the city. 

At 4 AM, Alexander started getting ready. He showered and applied foundation to cover the bags underneath his eyes. He picked out a black t-shirt with a faded green jacket, a pair of loose jeans, and steel-toed boots. The outfit was fairly fashionable, for him. By 5 AM, his bags were packed and he was walking out the door. 

The street light flickered, as complete silence filled his ears. He popped an earbud into his ear and began to play some music. He selected Anson Seabra, an artist from the early 2000s. Soft, beautiful music filled his ears. He began walking. 

Alexander could only hear the music, his footsteps, and the light breeze that shook the trees in the early morning. He looked at the trees, watching their leaves fly away as the wind shook them too hard. The biting cold stung as summer was truly starting to fade away. 

Taking a moment to exhale and clear his mind, he turned the corner and arrived at the agency. It was now 6 AM. He didn’t have to be there for another hour, but some alone time outside of the apartment never hurt. 

Eight children were missing. All of them orphans. Six FBI agents dead, simply for being assigned to the case. Not a single lead, no way to track them. Being assigned to this case could mean immediate death. Was he really ready for this?

Alexander looked up and closed his eyes as if expecting an answer from the heavens. He already knew that answer.

He was ready. He knew that death was already looming over his shoulder. Death had been looming around him since he was fifteen. He was at peace with the idea… if he could die doing something meaningful, then he would be satisfied with something in his life. Although twenty-six years wasn’t a long life, it was long enough. He wouldn’t go easily. But if it did happen, he would have no regrets. 

“Hamilton?” Someone touched his shoulder, making him jump and snap out of his heavy thoughts. It was Jefferson. Jefferson looked concerned, which made Alexander suspicious. 

“Hm?” Alexander tilted his head, a serious expression on his face. He glanced at Jefferson and smirked. 

“What’s funny?” Jefferson asked, seeing the expression on his face. 

“Your clothing. You’re going to an orphanage, not a cafe. Shoulda dressed to get dirty.” Jefferson looked down at his blue collared shirt, with rolled-up sleeves. His ray-bans stuck out of his pocket. “You expect to pick up a date on the job, Jefferson?” 

“I could probably fit it in my schedule between extreme anxiety and possible death.” They both snickered. They were in complete agreement, for once in their lives. “Oh, Hamilton?” 

“Hm?” Alexander glanced at him. 

“You should call me Tom. Or Thomas, if you don’t like Tom. If we’re going to be risking our lives together, I think we should be on a first-name basis.” Jefferson suggested. Alexander may not have liked Jefferson, but he did have a point. If he was going to die, he should at least call the person who was going to die with him by their first name. Seemed polite, at the very least. 

“I suppose you can call me Alexander. Or Alex. Don’t really care.” He said, deciding to give in. Jefferson, now Thomas, gave a small smile. 

“Well, Alex, you’re actually fairly well dressed today.” Thomas gave him the side-eye, the half-smile still on his face. 

“I, unlike you, don’t dress like a rich brat every day.” Alexander crossed his arms, ready to debate. God, he had missed debating with someone as intelligent as him. Thomas hummed, thinking for a moment. 

“At least I’m handsome.”

“Hate to break it to you, but handsome in your mother’s definition and handsome to a girl are two completely different things.”

“Good thing I’m gay then.” Thomas dropped the statement. Alexander barely reacted.

“Are you sure? Or is it because you couldn’t get a girl to touch you with a ten-foot pole?” 

“Maybe instead of questioning my sexuality, you should question your own.” This threw Alexander through a loop. What could Thomas be talking about? As much as he hated to give in, curiosity got the best of him. 

“What do you mean by that?” Alexander said, cautiously. 

“Well, you stood up and told the entire bar that you were the  _ hottest  _ topic the other night. It was a bar full of other guys, too.” Thomas smirked as Alexander coughed. “You also told Laurence that he was pretty when he was drunk.”

At that point, Alexander had a coughing fit. He didn’t remember anything about that night. But he felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment. 

“Oh, god, please kill me now.” He groaned. 

“Sorry, but I kinda need you for the mission. Plus, if you’re not half bad to look at when you dress nice.” Thomas teased. Alexander felt his face flush as he slowly stopped coughing. 

“I’m always good to look at.” 

“Uh-huh.” Thomas pulled his hair back in a bun on top of his head. “Well, let’s get going. It’s 6:54. Better to be early.” 

Nodding, Alexander headed to the car. He swung himself into the seat. Thomas put on classical music and started the car. The music was soothing, like a lullaby to a baby. Sinking into the car’s soft interior, it was hard to keep his eyes open. Eventually, he couldn’t fight the exhaustion anymore. Just as he was about to give in, Thomas spoke. 

“Hey, Alex?” Thomas whispered. 

“Mmm…” Alexander couldn’t bring himself to sit up or speak properly. 

“Everything will work out okay.” 

Before Alexander could process the words or even who said them, he was dragged away into the embrace of sleep. For once, sleep was a blessing instead of a nightmarish hell. 

Alexander slept peacefully, for the first time in years. 


	11. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting tense! An unsettling discovery is made... along with some unexpected news.

Classical music filled the car. The sun had risen and the streets lights turned off, as the city came to life. People filled the streets, rushing to a weekend job or to grab a cup of coffee.  Around eight, they stopped at a french coffee shop. Alexander woke up at Thomas’s insistence. The orphanage they were going to was about an hour and a half away, so a coffee break was in order. They sat on the patio, at a table for two 

Fall had made its presence abundantly clear now, nothing like the heat that had been present merely a week ago. Long sleeves and jeans swept the city, parents trying to make their young children wear jackets before they ran off to play. 

A comfortable silence came to pass, as they watched cars go by and other patrons. Thomas watched as a family of four sat across the patio. The mother wiped the crumbs off of the toddler’s face. The older child talked excitedly. The father laughed, watching as the youngest and oldest squabble for a moment. 

He peered back at Alexander, who enjoyed watching them. He smiled gently while sipping his coffee. Thomas felt like he was seeing more of Alexander than he had ever seen before. Maybe seeing a smiling Alexander wasn’t so rare after all. 

“You can stop staring now.” Alexander continued looking forward. Thomas felt his face go red.

“I wasn’t.” He responded, not having a witty come back. 

“You were.”

“How would you even know?” 

“I have great peripheral vision, in addition to being handsome.” 

“At least you didn’t add ‘intelligent’ in there. Wouldn’t want to disagree this early in the morning.” Alexander smacked his arm. They began discussing something political without it dissolving into complete chaos, which was something of a miracle. Eventually, it was time to get onto the road. 

There was half an hour left of the road trip. Thomas put on a morning talk show, which Alexander showed clear dislike for. After about ten minutes of the talk show, they dissolved into a half-argument about it. When there were five minutes left and they entered the rural/suburban part of New York, Alexander went silent. His leg bounced while he chewed on his lip. 

Finally, they pulled into a parking spot about a block away. Grabbing their bags from the trunk, Thomas slammed it shut. He decided to carry them both. Alexander either didn’t take notice or didn’t care. He was too deep in thought to even walk. It wasn’t until Thomas pinched him that he began to walk in the right direction. 

Reaching the correct block, they both took a breath before moving forward. Alexander guided toward a brick wall with a metal gate. The area surrounding the gate was clear, but along the sides, it was like a forest had sprung up. Thomas could see a white building in the distance. 

“Why, hullo, thanks for visiting the lovely Saint Mary’s orphanage. If you’d like to buzz off, please say one. No other options are available at this time.” Thomas whipped around, shocked. A girl was sitting on top of the wall, which was surprising, considering it was about five feet tall. 

“Thanks for the warm welcome, Audrey. You do know the wall isn’t for sitting on? And you’re in a no-smoking zone?” Alexander rolled his eyes. The girl, Audrey, sat crisscrossed applesauce on the wall. She presented the perfect “punk” image, between her black skull sweatshirt, her long black hair with blue streaks, and whatever she was smoking. 

“Such a killjoy, Lexi. If I told Nana about-” Audrey smirked as Alexander lifted his hands in surrender. 

“How about you let us in?” Alexander asked. 

“What’s in it for me?” Thomas was floored. The girl looked like she was fourteen. And yet Alexander let her get away with doing something illegal as well as challenging his authority. It was a feat that not even the best of his equals could get away with. 

“Audrey.” Alexander cautioned, looking her dead in the eyes. “If I have to climb over that wall, you’re not going to be a happy camper.” 

Audrey thought on this for a moment, before jumping down and flicking the gate with her finger. It swung open, meaning it hadn’t been locked. She smirked as she mockingly stepped aside. 

“You…” Alexander paused and searched for the right word as he stepped into the area. “Are a dipshit.” 

“Alexander, watch your mouth. She’s a child.” Thomas stated. Both Audrey and Alexander snorted. 

“She’s seventeen and she’s the offspring of satan. Hardly a child, even if she acts like one.” Audrey took a swing at Alexander, who ducked with ease. She took another puff of what looked like pot. Alexander plucked it from her hands after he locked the gate and took a puff himself. He then tossed it on the other side of the gate. 

“That was rude.” She muttered. She pulled Alexander in for a hug, who looked confused. “But I still love you.” 

“What the hell do you want-” Audrey pulled away, Alexander's phone in hand. She waved it, grinning. She then proceeded to sprint towards the house. “I told you, she’s a dipshit. Usually is.” 

“Who is she?” Thomas was intrigued. Other than Alexander and Burr, he hadn’t ever met an orphan. 

“That’s Audrey Richardson. Most people call her Audrey. Or Audie, if she really likes you. She’s been here since she was seven.” Alexander strolled towards the house like this wasn’t a mission of life or death. He hummed for a bit until the building was in sight. 

The building looked like a giant old fashioned home. It reminded Thomas of a farm, except it didn’t have any animals nearby. 

‘An area like this in New York… didn’t think it was possible.’ Thomas found himself thinking. It was calm and quiet, nothing but the wind making noise. The pair reached the door. Alexander nodded at Thomas, waiting for him to agree. It was a standard procedure for a criminal investigation. Thomas nodded back. 

Upon entering the house, chaos hit. Audrey was leaning against the wall as children came forward. They talked loudly and shoved each other out of the way, probably curious for a better look at the visitors. Thomas felt overwhelmed, but Alexander smiled and talked with the kids. 

“Alexander, welcome back.” An older woman wearing a sweater vest and a black skirt waved hello after the crowd of children started to disband. She had black hair and kind eyes. She nodded at Thomas, smiling. “Let’s go somewhere quieter, hm?” 

The older woman led them out of the foyer and deeper inside the house, into a small office. The office was decorated with photographs. It gave off a warm feeling, like sitting in front of a bonfire with friends or family. 

“Nana… you’ve been alright?” Alexander shifted from side to side. The woman, called Nana, shook her head from side to side. 

“Alexander, your manners are just as bad as they were when you arrived. At least introduce your friend here.” Nana gestured to Thomas. Thomas resisted the urge to giggle… Alexander was being put into place, for once in his life. 

“This is Thomas Jefferson. Thomas, Kristen Williams.” Alexander introduced them. 

“Please, call me Nana.” Nana shook Thomas’s hand firmly. She pulled out two chairs at her desk, before sitting in her own. “Have a seat. We have a lot to talk about.” 

“We’re just here for a-” Alexander began to explain, but Nana waved her hand and cut him off. 

“That’s a load of bull, Alexander.  _ Sit _ .” She insisted. She glanced at Thomas too, who felt shivers down his back. This woman wasn’t someone to mess with. They took their seats, neither daring to speak. “Now, tell me what you’re really here. It’s certainly not for a joyful reunion.” 

“Cas. And Pete.” Alexander swallowed nervously. He looked at his knees. Nana sighed and sat back. 

“I don’t understand why anyone would take them. Peter is a boy… and Cassandra is a strong girl, so it couldn’t have been easy.” Nana looked at Thomas. “You don’t know them. I’ll have to explain.” 

“Thank you.” Thomas tried to look her in the eye, but the tension in the room was thick and uncomfortable. 

“Cassandra Francis. She’s seventeen… one of the smartest girls Saint Mary’s has. A member of ‘Quad Squad’, as well call it here. She’s also one of the oldest.” Nana looked pained. She probably was… two children from her orphanage had gone missing after all. “Then Peter. Peter Layttin. He’s a seven-year-old boy. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about him.” 

“I don’t like it…” Alexander muttered. “Something is really off…” 

“There’s always something off when two children go missing at the same time on the same day for no particular reason.” A question came to mind. 

“May I borrow a notepad and a pen?” Thomas asked. Nana slid the items his way. “What time did they go missing?” 

“I don’t know exactly. It was sometime between one and five in the afternoon…” Nana thought hard. 

“Nana, that’s free time, right?” Alexander’s eyes widened. Nana nodded. “Then that means they would have been in the forest…” 

“They were playing tag. Cassandra was it.” Alexander inhaled sharply at Nana’s words.

“Then whoever has been making the kids disappear has been watching.” Thomas stared at Alexander, not understanding. “Oh, come on. Don’t be dumb, Thomas. If this person was able to kidnap eight kids in four weeks without giving us a single lead, they’d have to be extremely smart.” 

“Meaning they would have a plan…” Thomas still didn’t understand what he was getting at. 

“This orphanage doesn’t allow anyone in without proper identification. Meaning the only way they would know that one to four was free time and the kids would be in the forest… was if they lived here or they were watching.” Something finally clicked in Thomas’s head and he began to comprehend. 

“And if their goal was Cassandra and Peter specifically, they’d have to know where they were… meaning they probably are watching, cameras or other methods.” Thomas spoke slowly, realizing exactly how dangerous this case was. If whoever did this was watching right now, they were as good as dead. “We should look around and take them out.” 

“It won’t work.” Nana interrupted. Alexander and Thomas looked over at her, eyes snapping up. “If the kidnapper hasn’t presented any leads so far, they’re not going to now… you’ll only find them when they want you too.”

“What do you mean?” Thomas could feel his voice quiver. He had never felt so useless before. 

“Think about it… if their goal was to create terror, they’d do something more public. Give a lead, even if it’s fake so that everyone will be searching for them. They’re not trying to make this public… my guess is that they’re trying to prove a point or get a certain group of people to go after him.” Nana explained, like a teacher. 

“That explains why none of us were killed after being assigned the case.” Thomas grimaced. The kidnapper  _ must  _ have known about the Anonymous Agents… making them even more dangerous than before. And since none of them were dead yet, it meant that the kidnapper had achieved his goal so far. 

“If that’s the case, then it means that we  _ will  _ find them. But it’s going to be on their timeline, not ours.” Thomas looked at Alexander. He was processing, racking his brain for any information he might be able to find. He watched Alexander sigh and sit back. He was pretty cute, despite the serious situation. “I suppose the best we can do is look around and familiarize ourselves with the terrain.” 

“This is the calm before the storm.” Nana clenched her hands together.

Alexander stood up and walked out, without waiting for Nana or Thomas. Nana stood up slowly and smiled sadly at Thomas. Thomas grabbed the two bags and followed her out. 

“I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” Nana led him to a stairwell and headed up. It seemed like it was a hike for the older woman, so Thomas slowed down as much as his long legs would let him. They ended up on the third floor, at the very end of the hall. Nana gestured toward the door and stepped aside. “This is Alexander’s old room. He slept here with his older cousin. The other children won’t sleep here. Something about a ghost.” 

Nana trudged back down the hall, leaving Thomas alone. He hesitated, not knowing why. It felt like he was intruding in someone else’s house. Opening the door, a burst of hot air came through the door.

He walked in, amazed. It looked like it hadn’t been touched since he left. What was strange was that half the room looked empty, but the other half looked like a teenager had lived there before disappearing randomly. 

The room was white, like the rest of the house. The beds had white sheets and light gray comforters. One bed was neatly made, while the other looked like a raccoon lived there. Wooden nightstands were next to both beds. One was empty. The other had a few books, a flashlight, a digital alarm clock, and an old mp3 player with headphones. At the end of the room, there were two desks with a bookshelf in between. A fairly big window stretched across the wall. 

One desk was, again, completely empty. The bookshelf held dozens of books. Books were even on top of the shelf because there were so many of them. The second desk was a complete mess. Pens, pencils, books, papers, and binders overflowed the desk. 

Thomas looked at the wall, seeing drawings and photographs. He tiptoed over to the half of the wall that was covered with pictures. Each photograph and drawing was pinned with a thumbtack. 

A warm feeling flooded his chest when he looked at the drawings. They were obviously drawn by children. Since Alexander arrived in seventh grade (if Burr had been accurate), then these probably weren’t done by him. Maybe he was kinder than Thomas originally thought. The drawings were of what seemed like young Alexander with other children. 

He moved onto the photos. The first one took him by shock. It was toddler Alexander. Small and chubby, with short hair. A woman was holding him. The two smiled brightly at each other, while a man stood behind them with a hand on the woman’s shoulder. He realized that these were probably Alexander’s mother and father. He hadn't thought about what Alexander's parents would look like and he could never have imagined him as a child, let alone a toddler.

In the next photo, Alexander looked to be about nine or ten. His hair was longer, but not ponytail long. He was holding some sort of award proudly, with his mother kneeling next to him. His smile was bright, pure, and genuine. 

Moving to the next photo, time seemed to skip like the two before it. Alexander was about twelve. He stood in front of a middle school with three other people. One person, Thomas could recognize as Burr. The other had similar features to Alexander, so Thomas assumed that it was his cousin that Nana had mentioned earlier. The other person Thomas didn’t know. 

But the photo showed a shocking transformation. Instead of the bright smile in the past two, his face harbored a fake, tight-lipped smile. His body was pale and thin. His hair had grown down past his shoulders, a bird’s nest. He was clearly miserable. Alexander’s possible cousin looked just as miserable. 

Swallowing, he looked at the next photo. All of the kids were wearing some sort of elite school uniform. Alexander, Burr, Eliza, Angelica, Peggy, the child from before, and another child he didn’t recognize stood in front of a school building. Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy knelt in front of the group, smiling. Burr smiled at the camera, his arms crossed. The new child had Alexander in a headlock, both of them smiling. The child from the photo before stood slightly off to the side, smiling as well. 

Thomas looked at the other photos on the wall. It was like watching your child grow up. He could see Alexander aging, growing, changing. It looked like he was happier and certainly healthier. He reached the last photo and his stomach dropped. 

Alexander, Burr, and the child from before were in the frame. Burr must have been an adult in the photo, seeing as how Alexander and the other child looked to be about sixteen or seventeen. Burr looked uncomfortable, standing as far away from Alexander and the other child as well. But that wasn’t what made him feel sick. 

The other child was gripping Alexander’s shoulder, wrinkling his shirt. He was standing too close. Alexander looked sickly again, barely bothering to smile. But the other child was grinning wildly. Manically, almost. His eyes had a crazed looked in them, wide open. It didn’t sit right with him. 

He blinked and tore himself away. Glancing at the window, he realized that the sun was setting. He sighed and turned towards the door, intending to see what the dinner plan was. Before he could move the door was thrown open, slamming into the second bed. 

Alexander was panting, nearly falling against the door frame. He looked up with anger and hate in his eyes. Thomas narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. Very wrong. The words he spoke next should have been a cause for relief. But instead, panic and fear flooded his system.

“We found one. He’s alive…  _ technically _ .” 


	12. Technically...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! My family has come to visit (I don't see them often!), so I might not be able to consistently update until Wednesday.

_Technically._ Technically had always been one of Alexander’s favorite words. The definition was, _according to facts or exact meaning of something; strictly._ Alexander used the word on many occasions, usually saving him from a lot of trouble. But the word didn’t always work in his favor. 

Three minutes ago, Alexander had been inspecting the forest. He knew the area like the back of his hand, having lived at Saint Mary’s for six years. He knew which areas were prone to be muddy, which area had the best climbing tree, where the bush with the ripest berries was. 

Familiarizing himself with the terrain was a blatant lie. But knowing that the monster behind the kidnapping had complete and utter control over even the toughest organization in America, if not the world… it filled him with rage, fear, and hopelessness. 

Although Alexander prided himself on keeping his emotions to himself, he knew that if he stayed in the office with Nana and Thomas a moment longer, he would burst. So he went out to the forest instead. 

The forest had been a place of joy and wonder. No matter how many times he had played tag, hide and seek, or any other game there, it never lost its wonder. The creek with crystal blue water looked inviting, asking him to take a dip. Alexander half considered it, before his phone (he had gotten it back from Audrey) rang. 

In record time, Alexander sprinted back to the house, up the stairs, and burst through the door. He panted, barely able to stand up anymore. He took a breath and forced out the worst words he thinks he’ll ever have to say…

“We found one. He’s alive… _technically_.” 

It stung. Technically rolled off his tongue with a bitter taste. He nearly choked, having to say it. Thomas paled as much as his olive skin would let him. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but Alexander collapsed on the floor, still panting. 

“Alexander!” Thomas rushed over, presumably with the intent to help him. Alexander held out a hand to stop him. Instead, Alexander stood shakily and leaned on the wall. He made his way over to his old bed before sitting down again. He placed his head in his hands, still panting. “I’ll- get some water.” 

Thomas left the room abruptly. Alexander put his back to the wall and took in his old room. It hadn’t been touched. His foolish, hopeless dreams were still in here somewhere… all the pictures of the lowest points in his life were here as well. From a time when he lived caring about anyone and anything but himself. He clenched his fist, bringing him back to the present situation. 

His partner returned and had handed him a glass of water. Alexander threw it back like a shot, coughing slightly. He rubbed his temple before sitting up. Thomas had already sat on the other bed, facing him. 

“What the hell happened?” Thomas sat forward, clearly on edge. Alexander swallowed before speaking. 

“Well… like I said, they found one of the children,” His partner’s eyebrows furrowed. “It was a male child, Nico Sydner, age eleven… the first set of children to disappear.” 

“Why- why is that bad?” Thomas’s voice shook. It was clear to him that this wasn’t a heroic action of the agency, nor a merciful act of the kidnapper.

“He’s in a coma, sort of…” Alexander didn’t want to go on. “They found him delivered in front of the orphanage he came from… he was unconscious.”

“And?” Thomas pressed. 

“He was wearing black. All black, long sleeves, long pants. It just looked like he was asleep, nothing serious.” Alexander took a drink of what little water remained in the cup. “They called an ambulance. He was taken to the ER to be examined.” 

“They took off the clothing. His back was covered in cuts, in the X shape. He wouldn’t wake up, no matter what they did. Not only that, but he had a tattoo on the back of his neck… of the Egyptian symbol for God.” Thomas’s jaw dropped. Alexander felt the same. For someone to do such horrific things on a child and call themselves “God” was unthinkable. 

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Thomas spoke in a hushed tone. Alexander took in his appearance. He was a tall, strong man with beautiful curly hair. But now he was bent over in worry, his eyes cast downward and his face stuck between anger, sorrow, and disbelief. Alexander nodded.

“They don’t really… understand. He woke up, but he’s not… _here_. He’s like a doll. Not talking, not eating, not even showing emotions. He won’t react to anyone or anything, including pain.” 

“Jesus Christ…” Thomas shook his head. 

“There was a note too. It read ‘Good luck, Agents.’. A warning.” Thomas jolted straight up, unsure of what to do or say.

“Nana said dinner will be ready soon.” Unnoticed to them, a boy popped his head in. He looked to be fifteen or sixteen. His eyes flashed between the two of them, understanding that something was amiss. Alexander probably knew him, but he was too tired to even think about who the boy was. “Also, Nana said that if you two don’t eat sometime tonight, she’ll be upset.” 

The boy walked away without another word. Thomas and Alexander sat still, in silent despair. Thomas brushed the hair out of his eyes and slowly stood up. He opened his mouth, trying to find the right words. 

“I… I’m going to eat dinner. I guess I’ll see you soon…” Thomas muttered and left, shutting the door quietly. 

Alexander blinked and looked around once more. The room was lit by the moon only. Rain began to drizzle, no thunder or lightning accompanying it. The only sounds were the wind and children on the first floor, talking, hollering, laughing. 

Nights like these were the worst… it had been a night like when his father left, his mother died, when his cousin died, when everything went to hell in a handbasket. He glanced at the bed across him, remembering. 

He remembered how he laid in the bed, clutching the pillow and crying quietly. He was curled into a ball, age fifteen. He remembered… so, so, so many things.

As his eyes closed, he fell into a dream of memories. 


	13. Dom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Things came up in real life. The next few days will be busy as well. Nice long chapter this time!

Thomas ate dinner at the head of the table with Nana. Nana turned out to be intelligent and interesting, much like Alexander. She had a wicked sense of humor that made the time fly by. Despite being older, she seemed to be just as in touch as a young teen. 

The dining hall had three long tables. Each table was long enough for about 15 kids to sit comfortably. There was a chair at the end of the middle of the table for Nana to sit. One of the tables was for staff to sit at. 

There were 24 children residing in the Orphanage at that moment. Thomas hadn’t known what to expect from 24 children in the same house, but it certainly wasn’t the sight he saw before him. 

Almost all 24 children sat politely at the table, eating and discussing everything from school to politics. If it weren’t for the toddlers, he might have been able to think that he was on an alien planet where children behaved. Surprisingly, the oldest children were behaving the worst. 

The five oldest children in Saint Mary’s were Cassandra (17 and missing), Audrey (17), William (16), Olivia (16), and Mia (15). They sat together, flicking food and hurling insults at each other. They were discussing politics… whether or not America should get rid of the AI Employee tax. 

“We need to keep it, stupid. What else are unemployed people going to do when their company gets rich enough to buy a robot to replace them?” Olivia wrinkled her nose while looking at William. 

“Gee, I dunno, get another job? I swear you’re stupider than Ulysses S. Grant.” William shot back, in equal disgust. Thomas didn’t know who Ulysses S. Grant was. 

“Well, all of you are stupider than a Sloth. That settles it.” Mia shoved food into her mouth, unable to talk after that. 

“You took that back! I wasn’t even involved!” Audrey gasped. 

“Pardon me asking, but why are those insults?” Thomas butt in, confused. The children looked at each other, confused. 

“You don’t know who Ulysses S. Grant is?” Audrey tilted her head and furrowed her brows in confusion. 

“Um, no…” He muttered. He left embarrassed. Was this something people were expected to know? He hadn’t even heard of Ulysses S. Grant before. 

“Ulysses S. Grant was our 18th President, elected in 1869. He let the country fall into a depression. He had an IQ of 120, the lowest score a President ever had.” William explained it to him patiently, like he was teaching. 

“That’s only because Trump refused to take an IQ test. I bet if he did, it’d be around 80.” Audrey said. Mia snorted into her apple juice, coughing and laughing at the same time. 

“B-B-B-B-B-Border Wall!” William and Olivia sang out joyfully. 

“Hey, don’t forget the other stuff that he did.” One of the other older children muttered gloomily. Mia patted him on the back. 

“The sloth is one of the stupidest animals on earth. They’re slow and they confuse their limbs for tree branches when they climb down. They fall and die sometimes.” Mia was probably the most reasonable one here, from what Thomas could see. She was cool and level headed, despite being the youngest. 

“Why on earth and how do you children know all of this?” Thomas must have looked shocked because the children laughed. None of this was taught to Thomas in school. 

“Lex didn’t tell you about this place, did he?” The gloomy child said. His name was Elijah if Thomas remembered correctly. Thomas shook his head. 

“This orphanage is for orphans with brains.” Audrey made a face, with her tongue stuck out. Nana sighed, finally joining in the conversation. 

“Saint Mary’s Orphanage specializes in children with high intelligence. We’re nearby West View Academy, who does K-12. They’re an elite institution for gifted children. And since Saint Mary’s is a clean, ideal place to study… well, it makes sense that we’d specialize in gifted orphans.” Nana interjected. Thomas nodded. If Alexander grew up here, it was a small wonder that he wasn’t Albert Einstein smart. Maybe he was. “Your co-worker, Alexander, attended West View for two years.” 

“Speaking of Lex…” Audrey kicked the table leg. “What’s he like now?” 

“What do you mean by that?” Thomas shifted, not liking this conversation. He took a sip from his sprite. An adult privilege. 

“Well, he’s pretty different now. Before he left, he was super cool. He brought back stuff for us and took care of us.” Audrey had a look of nostalgia on her face. 

“He was like our hero.” Elijah agreed from the other side of the table. “Everyone followed him around. I was really little at that time.” 

“Olivia and I were seven when he left for good. Hasn’t come back since. Aaron and George were gone too. All the other older kids left or got adopted.” William recounted, somewhat sadly. 

“You know him better than us now, don’t you? So tell us what he’s like.” Olivia insisted. The others nodded. 

“Um, well…” Thomas wasn’t really sure what to say. He couldn’t tell them about Alexander’s work. Nor could he tell them what a prick Alexander. “He’s very hardworking. Alexander is pretty smart. Um, he’s a nice guy?”

Thomas ended the sentence in a question, hoping that would be the end of the discussion. The young children had already been sent off to bed. He hoped that the older ones would be sent to bed too. The older children had different ideas. Since Nana had vanished into the kitchen, he didn’t expect to be saved. 

“So, is Lex your friend or something? You’re obviously not just co-workers.” Mia raised an eyebrow, sipping her drink. It was somewhat laughable how she did so… she looked like an office worker drinking coffee. Thomas didn’t really know a way to reply that Alexander wouldn’t be angry with. 

“Doubtful. Why would Lex bring a regular friend here? I doubt he ever talks about this place to anyone.” William crossed his arms and looked Thomas up and down, examining him. _Did he just give Thomas a once over?_

“Dating.” Olivia and William declared at the same time. 

“Wait, _what_?!” Thomas shot out of his seat without warning, knocking the chair over. The teenagers smirked and nodded to each other. 

“They’re a cute couple. I could imagine it.” Audrey winked at him. 

“Who’s dom and who’s the sub, though?” Elijah mused. Thomas didn’t like where this conversation was going. He looked around wildly, praying someone would come and save him. 

“The dom would obviously be-”

“Children.” Nana appeared in the door. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as the older woman looked over, annoyed. “Stop torturing the poor man and go to bed. Tomorrow is a long day and you all have school.” 

The teenagers grumbled and filed out of the dining room. Thomas rolled his shoulders and relaxed. Teenagers were more exhausting than twenty small dogs. But Nana directed them out, shooing them away with patience and care. 

He yawned and stretched. Rearranging his hair into a bun on top of his head, he pulled out his phone. He’d been neglecting it all day. 

‘Holy crap…’ He thought. Three missed calls and twenty missed messages. The clock read 11:00 PM, meaning it had gotten far later than he intended it too. He had intended to go to bed early, but he supposed that wasn’t happening. He slipped his phone back into his pocket without looking at any of the notifications. 

Thomas was on his own with navigating the gigantic house. He managed to find the music room, the library, and the laundry room all before he finally made it back to the room where he was supposed to be staying. 

He reached for the door but froze. He heard a muffled sound from inside. His adrenaline surged, ready to fight or flee. Inching quietly towards the door, he pressed his ear against the wooden surface. It took him a moment before he recognized the sound. 

_Crying._ Whoever was inside must be crying. What on earth happened that would have made someone cry? Was this the wrong room? Thomas pushed open the door, steeling himself to whatever awaited. 

And then he began to melt immediately. 

Alexander sat on his bed, his knees hugged to his chest. His head was bent down, muffling the sound. He looked like a small child after a fight. The sight was almost heartbreaking, for Alexander no longer looked like the strong, unbreakable man he was thought to be. Instead, he looked like a vulnerable teenager, hopeless, and alone. 

It brought on another, even less expected emotion in Thomas. His chest tightened, feeling the need to do something he hadn’t even thought of before. He couldn’t put a name on this feeling. But it was red and hot as an iron. He swallowed, pushing it away. 

He moved towards Alexander, who finally realized he had entered. Alexander looked at him and shrank back as Thomas took a seat on his bed. His eyes were an odd color, which looked even prettier lit by the moonlight and filled with tears. 

“Whatchu need?” Alexander sniffed and tried to sound imposing. It might have worked if he hadn’t been crying. But the action made him look rather cute, with his short stature and not even a hint of hair on his chin. 

“You’re not scary when you’re crying, you know.” Thomas joked, teasingly. Alexander looked away. Whether out of embarrassment or anger was unknown. 

“You’re scary when you’re pretending to be nice.” He said quietly. 

“Pretending? What makes you think that?” Thomas raised an eyebrow. Alexander ignored him and shrank against the wall. Thomas poked him again, to which he continued to ignore. The poking continued, in an effort to rile him up. 

“Could you stop that? You’re being an asshole,” Alexander growled, forcing his hand away. “You can stop pretending to be nice. There’s no one here now. So you can go back to your pompous self now.” 

That struck a nerve in Thomas. Something hit. He felt angry and something else at the same time. The burning desire to touch someone. To hold them, kiss them, among other things. While Thomas did play around with some women, this wasn’t feeling wasn’t a part of it. 

“Fine. I _will_ stop being nice.” Thomas stood up and turned his back to Alexander. He could feel Alexander’s tension relieve a bit… giving him ample opportunity to win this fight. 

Before Alexander could even blink, Thomas had turned around and was nearly on top of him in an instant. One hand circled Alexander’s wrist, the other cupped his face. Their faces lingered, inches apart. 

Thomas watched as his tear-filled eyes widened in shock. And then he dove in for the kill.

He planted his lips on Alexander’s, diving in without waiting for permission. He explored the cavern of his mouth, warm and hot. After a moment, he ran out of breath and pulled back. 

Both men gasped for air, before quieting down. Thomas stared deep into the smaller man’s eyes with a questioning look, asking for permission. Alexander took an adorably shaky breath and closed his eyes, considering it. It seemed like an eternity, but he eventually gave a small nod. 

Thomas moved in again. He pulled out the hair tie and watched as Alexander’s hair dropped smoothly around his shoulders and down his back. He really did look almost perfect. 

_Almost_. 

Something was still missing, in Thomas’s opinion. He ran his fingers through Alexander’s hair, leaning in to nibble on his ear. He was rewarded with a small shudder. Thomas smiled to himself, thinking that this had to be his first time. 

He dragged his finger along the small man’s jawline until he reached his chin. Lifting his chin with one finger, Thomas moved there. He bit down somewhat harshly, enough to leave a mark. Alexander cried out in surprise, not expecting this. 

Thomas placed his fingers on the nape of his neck, dragging the tip down his spine while continuing to nibble on his ears and neck. Alexander squirmed uncomfortably, but didn’t push him away. When Thomas’s finger reached the bottom of where his pants began, he bit down on Alexander’s earlobe hard.

“Gah!” Alexander yelped. His ear was probably throbbing. Thomas pulled away completely and grinned devilishly. The hickies on his neck and the bite marks on his ear were a lovely addition to his usual look. “The hell was that for?”

“I did say I wouldn’t be nice anymore.” Thomas moved towards the end of the bed with the pillow and pulled Alexander into his lap. 

“I don’t get you…” Alexander muttered, confused. Thomas held him tightly around the waist. 

“You don’t have too.” Thomas breathed into his ear. Alexander shuddered, tensing. He glanced over to the spot where Alexander had been sitting and realized he had been holding a photograph from the wall. Reaching over and picking it up, he handed it to him. “Who are they?” 

It was the photo of the children in their school uniforms. The uniforms must have belonged to West View Academy. The children stared back happily. 

“Mm, well…” Alexander paused a moment. He pointed to Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy. “You know them already. “Angelica, Peggy, ‘Liza.” 

Alexander shifted a bit and yawned tiredly. He probably was exhausted. Any sleep that he might have gotten was likely plagued with nightmares if he was like other trauma survivors. 

“Peggy was in sixth grade, Angie was in eighth, Eliza was in seventh.” He pointed to each one as he spoke about them. “Angie was annoying. She wormed her way into my life and wouldn’t get out. I thought she was pretty at first, so I let it slide. Then her sisters came along and they ended up joining the agency too.” 

He moved his finger down to little Burr. Burr smiled politely but did not look as overjoyed as the other child. 

“That’s Aaron. Or you know him as Burr. He was a pretty quiet kid. Teacher’s pet. Real teacher’s pet.” Alexander hummed light. Thomas could see his eyelids fluttering shut. Alexander slid his finger to the boy holding his teenage self in a headlock. “That’s Nicholas Fish. Not very smart, but annoyingly persistent and optimistic. Loud. One of my best friends in school.” 

Alexander sighed, falling asleep. But the last child in the photo weighed heavily on Thomas’s mind. 

“Who is the last kid?” Thomas whispered in a low, sweet voice. 

“He was a pretty boy… light auburn hair, blue eyes… nice voice. He got adopted two years before I left. We were fifteen… Georgie wasn’t…. quite…” Alexander fell asleep before he could even finish his sentence. 

Thomas looked down at the man lying on him. For years, he had thought of Alexander as an unbreakable wall, a stubborn ass. Unlovable and unattractive. 

Was it possible that he might not be so adverse to the idea of himself and Alexander together?

He wasn’t sure. Thomas quietly listened to the small body beneath him, breathing slowly and calmly. He shifted Alexander so he was lying down, before lying next to him. Pulling Alexander closer, he set the photograph on the nightstand and nuzzled Alexander’s neck. 

He didn’t know if this would go anywhere, but one thing was made up in his mind…

Thomas _was_ the dom.


	14. The Connection

Alexander hated this. This quiet, calm period… it was the eye of the hurricane, just waiting for the storm to hit. But Alexander knew that when the storm hit this time, it would be unlike anything he had ever seen before.

It had been two weeks since Thomas and Alexander arrived at his old home. Other than the one-child being returned, nothing else had happened. It was complete torture. 

With nothing to do other than relax, awful thoughts and unwanted emotions flooded Alexander. He spent hours pacing the floor of his old room. Thomas, Nana, and the other children tried to interest him in something, but his mind was far too preoccupied. 

It was six am and Alexander’s alarm rang promptly. He had been getting out of bed two hours later than usual. But he hadn’t slept more than ten hours in the past week, so it was justified. 

He sighed, pushing off of the warm covers. Thomas and himself had grown closer, so Thomas had his arms wrapped around his waist. The taller man could feel Alexander trying to get up. Thomas pulled Alexander back to him, pushing his face into his neck. 

“Why do you get up so  _ early _ ? It’s not like you’re doing anything.” Thomas muttered into his neck. As much as the shorter man could see his point, he had a  _ routine _ . Having lost everything else that was normal, he wouldn’t lose his routine as well. 

“Habit, Thomas. Simply my habit. Maybe you should try it.” Alexander attempted to push Thomas off of him, but to no avail. Strength was a weakness of his… if his enemy managed to latch onto him, the battle was over. Unfortunately, Thomas figured this out quickly. 

“Nope. You’re not leaving me today. Lay down, for a while longer.” The taller man spoke in a soothing and sweet tone that drew him in. Considering for a moment, he flopped back. Thomas loosened his grip, which allowed Alexander to roll out of bed. 

“Sorry, Thomas.” He smirked. “Habit is a habit. I’ll die before I change my ways.” 

Thomas groaned, annoyed. It had become overly clear to him that Thomas wished to be dominant in the relationship. Alexander, however, wasn’t one to submit to anything easily. Making Thomas annoyed was a challenge, but one he gladly took up. 

“I don’t know what you even do this early.” The tall man rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep, as Alexander flicked the light on. Thomas groaned again, probably wishing to strangle him. 

Alexander changed out of his flannel pants and white t-shirt into black slacks and a white button-down. One of the buttons was being an asshole and so was Thomas. 

“You look fine, just like that.” Thomas licked his lips. Alexander rolled his eyes and flicked a paperclip from his old desk at him. He finally managed to snap the button into the proper hole, earning a whine from Thomas. 

“I don’t know how anyone stands you,” Alexander told him teasingly. 

“Well, you manage. Somehow.” Thomas gave a bright smile. Alexander cocked an eyebrow and slipped out of the room, slamming the door. “Turn off the light, asshole!” 

Alexander smiled to himself and looked around the quiet house. He rolled his shoulders back and wiped any emotion off of his face, before walking down the hall. 

Rain poured against the side of the house, making Alexander more uncomfortable than he already was. He didn’t like this house, the memories it had, or anything else about it. The kids were okay, but it wasn’t enough to make him feel happy about being here. 

He shuffled his way down to the common room. An electric fireplace had already been turned on, warming the room. Nana was probably up, helping the kitchen staff or cleaning. Neither was her job, but that was the type of person Nana was. 

Alexander took a seat on a couch near the fire. After he turned twelve, he had spent many evenings in front of this fire. Peter had been here as well, smiling and laughing next to him. That had ended when Peter had committed suicide. The fun-loving cousin he had grown up with was no longer alive, anywhere in this world. Alexander wondered what Peter might have grown up to be like if he hadn’t died. 

Before Alexander could think anymore about Peter, his quiet morning was interrupted by the obnoxious ringing of his cellphone. He wanted to throw it across the room and into the fire. But he didn’t feel like paying for a new one, so he picked it up. 

“Alexander.” Lafayette’s voice rang through the phone, riddled with anxiety and sadness. 

“Laf. What’s wrong?” The tone of Lafayette’s voice filled Alexander with fear as well, but he tried to remain as uncaring as possible. 

“Someone else was returned. Anna Leeway. Age thirteen, female.” Alexander forgot to breathe, for a moment. His eyes widened, waiting. “She was in the same state as Nico Synder… unresponsive, but alive. She has a tattoo on the back of her neck as well.” 

“The same thing?” Alexander spoke cooly, narrowing his eyes. His train of thought ran a million miles per hour, unsure of what to believe. 

“The same tattoo as last time?” Alexander spoke coolly, calm and composed. His train of thought was running a million miles per hour. For once in his life, he had no clue what was right or wrong. 

“No. It’s a tattoo of something else. The Egyptian symbol for king.” Alexander froze, a thought coming to his mind. An ugly, horrific, awful thought. 

“I need to go, Lafayette. Talk later. Alert Washington that I might be onto something, to call me at 7 PM tonight.” Alexander’s voice trembled with both anger and fear. 

“Alexander, wait-” He clicked the red button and shoved it into his pocket. He stood frozen in time, thinking. Placing pieces together with his mind. It wasn’t until he heard the morning bells ring that he moved to the stairs, rushing back to his room. 

He burst through the door, where Thomas was half-dressed. Thomas looked at him, shocked. 

“Are you-” Thomas began to speak, but Alexander cut him off abruptly. 

“Quiet.” Alexander grabbed a sheet of paper from his desk and fumbled around for a pen. He couldn’t find one and began to get angry. 

“You don’t need to be an asshole, Alex. You can just-” Once again, Alexander cut the man off. 

“Just be quiet, for the love of God.” Tension like never before struck the room, too tight to even move. Alexander continued to fumble through the mess on his desk. 

“I get this is hard for you, not having any family, but-” Alexander froze and turned to Thomas. His breath was hitched and his eyes were angry. He had never told Thomas that he didn’t have any family. 

“What do you mean by that?” Alexander spoke in a dangerously low voice, eyes wild. He  _ knew  _ the case was more important, but his impulse control was too low at the moment. 

“You lived here, didn’t you?” Thomas swallowed, looking guilty. He probably was guilty of something. 

“I do have family, thank you very much.” Alexander glared at him. He was about to turn away, but the next sentence out of Thomas’s mouth made him feel sick. 

“Why are you lying? I read your records, you don’t have anyone left.” Both men froze. They stood silent, breathing in unison and shock. 

“You. Did.  _ What? _ ” Alexander whipped around after comprehending this piece of information. He approached Thomas slowly and firmly, like a cat stalking his prey. 

“Washington said we should get to know our partners-”

“Bullshit. That’s a load of fucking  _ bullshit _ .” Never in his life had he felt this angry. He’d been angry, pissed, afraid. But his blood was boiling with rage. “You wanted to get some dirt on me, didn’t you?”

“So you went to the records room to look me up. You didn’t know I was a Rank 0, so you thought you’d have access to everything. You went through my records and saw some information.” He spat out with venom. “And then when you saw I was a poor little orphan, you felt  _ pity _ . Pity. That’s all this was. It was pity and  _ nothing  _ more, right, Thomas?” 

Alexander felt his anger slip away and was replaced with fatigue. He leaned over, grabbing the edge of his desk for support. A bead of sweat from his tantrum rolled down his forehead. 

“Alexander, that’s not-” Alexander shook his head. His vision was swimming and his head was a buzz. He waved his hand and pointed to the door. 

“Out. Now. Leave me alone.” He placed a hand over his face. He heard the floorboards creak and the door swing shut, gently. Alexander made his way towards his desk and pulled out his chair, sitting down without much grace. 

He ripped open a drawer and pulled out a pen, grabbing another piece of paper. 

_ A connection. There’s one here, I just need to think outside the box. _ He thought to himself, his head clearing slightly. The connection between victims must be something so crazy that no one else would even think to check. It could be blood type or…

_ Wait… What if it’s something so obvious that it would be overlooked? _ Alexander grabbed his pen and wrote the names of the victims down with speed. 

Anna Leeway.

Jamison Zelline. 

Marissa Dayson. 

Robert Howard. 

Nico Sydner. 

Jane Kirsten. 

Cassandra Francis. 

Peter Lyttin. 

He stared at the list, not wanting to believe it. He circled the “Lee” from Anna Leeway. Agent Charles Lee. 

He circled “Jam” from Jamison Zelline. Agent James Madison. 

The “Mari” from Marissa Dayson. Agent Maria Reynolds. 

The “Robert” from Robert Howard. Agent Robert Troup. 

“Franc” from Cassandra Francis. Related to Agent Lafayette, who was from France. 

The last three were puzzling, however. Nico Sydner, Jane Kirsten, and Peter-.

He circled “Nico”. Nicolas Fish, from Middle School.

“Jane” from Jane Kirsten. Thomas’s younger sister. 

And “Peter Lyttin”. 

Peter Lytton, his cousin. 

This was not a crime without a plan. This crime could have been in the works for months. Years, even. He hadn’t heard from Nicolas Fish since he left the Orphanage. 

The question still remained… who? Who would have the motivation? Two of the related names on the list were personal. Was this a crime against him? 

After a moment, he wrote down “God”. The tattoo Nico Sydner had brought back. And then “King”. 

He stood up slowly and walked to the wall. His hands trembled, as he took out the thumbtack of the last photo from his childhood. He brought it back to his desk and looked down. 

Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and one other child were in the photo. The child he had tried so hard to forget. He grabbed the pen and circled the child’s face. 

_ Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. _

_ Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. _

_ Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. _

The phone rang as soon as he finished circling the child’s face. He didn’t want to touch it. Didn’t want to answer. It was in a daze that he brought the phone out of his pocket and up to his ear, hitting the green button. 

“Hullo, Alexander. It’s been a while.” The voice on the other end sounded happily maniacal. Alexander didn’t speak, for once in his life. He was unable to find anything to say. “Well, congratulations. You’ve figured out my little game. Do you still remember me?” 

Alexander whipped his head around the room, positive there was some sort of surveillance. 

“Yes, Lexi. I’m watching you, right now. I always have been, from the moment you left. And everyone else too. Aaron, Peggy, Eliza, Angie. Everyone.” Alexander felt like he wanted to vomit. He probably would. “There’s no point in trying to escape everything now. I’ve been planning this for  _ years _ .”

“What… have you been planning?” The words coming out of his mouth sounded like he hadn’t spoken in a month. Strange, since he had just yelled at Thomas. 

“You don’t need to know right now, Lexi. I’ll tell you tonight. You’ll come to see me at 6:55 PM. You won’t bring your phone or any other devices. And you won’t tell that godawful partner of yours, who you’ve been having fluttery feelings for.” 

“Why would I listen to you?” 

“Because I have them. Marissa Dayson, Jamison Zelline, Robert Howard, Jane Kirsten, Peter Lyttin, Cassandra Francis.” The words spoken by the other persons were almost song-like. “That’s not all, Lexi. No, no, of course not.”

“Who else do you have?” Alexander bit his lip, trying not to scream or cry. 

“Just a few others... I have Jane Jefferson… boy was she hard to get my hands on. I managed to get James Reynolds. They thought he was on the run, because of Miss Maria Reynolds.” The voice hummed for a moment. “Oh, I almost forgot! I have Nicolas Fish. He’s been here for years, so it’s easy to forget he’s a part of this.”

“You…” His voice faltered, giving out. 

“You wouldn’t abandon one of your best friends, right?” Nicolas Fish was with the man… a victim of this awful crime. “Now, at 6:55 PM, you’re going to show up where I tell you. You’re not going to tell anyone else. You’re not going to fight, either. That would be such a useless endeavor. I know that you get sick every summer… you missed this time, but now you’re starting to feel it.” 

“Excellent timing, Lexi. You’ve really moved this plan along. Everything is turning out so perfectly!” The voice gloated. “If you do as I tell you, I’ll return the children. I’ll even send the cure to the trance-like state they’ve been in.”

“Why?” Alexander found his voice, weak and afraid. 

“Oh, Lexi, doll… my plan is  _ so  _ much bigger than these imprudent children, Nicolas Fish, or even you. It’ll be nice to have you with me again, of course. But there’s  _ so  _ much more to my plan. Just you wait.” The voice paused. After a moment, it spoke again. “I always told everyone…”

“You’ll be back.” 

The call ended with a click and buzz. He stood alone in the room, knowing he was being watched. 

Alexander Hamilton had a choice to make.

It wasn’t much of a choice at all. 


	15. The Last Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going on a two-day vacation! Cya after that!

“You’ll be back.” 

With a click and a buzz, the phone line went dead. The phone clattered to the floor, still buzzing. The haunting words left no doubt as to who the criminal was. 

George William Fredrick. A fellow orphan at Saint Mary’s, who arrived when he was six. He’d been adopted when he was sixteen. His name had been changed to George William King, the name of the family that adopted him. 

As everything fell into place, he grabbed the hair on his skull in panic and horrible disappointment in himself. 

_ How had he not figured this out earlier? _

It was so  _ painfully  _ obvious. The orphanages targeted were all in New York, the tattoos, the way he played the agents so well. George may not have ever been sane, but he was smart. Not to mention the family he had been adopted into had money and status. 

The phone continued to buzz, drilling into Alexander’s skull. He scooped the phone up, hung up, and set the phone on the desk. He began pacing, thinking. 

There was nothing he could do at this point. If Alexander tried to alert anyone, George would know. If he tried to prepare weapons, George would know that too. Going somewhere else to prepare or contact help wasn’t an option either. Who knows how many surveillance devices George had access to? 

Alexander considered making a plan to surprise George and end things without fighting. The issue was that George had grown up with him. The man knew exactly what made Alexander tick, how Alexander thought, everything about him. 

He could bring a weapon or fight back without one, but George was stronger than him. George had been right about how he got sick every summer. Every summer since he was twelve, he’d gotten sick without fail. Alexander had already started feeling ill. It would only be hours to days before he would be in no condition to fight… and he didn’t  _ know  _ whether it would happen in an hour or one week. 

If he was in any condition to fight, there was the issue of the victims. Based on Nico Sydner and Anna Leeway, the other victims were most likely alive. But George was insane and it wouldn’t stay that way for long if Alexander didn’t cooperate. And if George wasn’t lying, Nico and Anna might be able to return to normal with his cure. 

George had stated that his plan was bigger than the orphans, his old friend, and even Alexander himself. The possibility of death for Alexander was incredibly high, even if he didn’t kill the children. There wouldn’t be a way to get out of this unharmed, at the very least. Even if Alexander  _ didn’t  _ show up, George would probably kidnap him anyway. 

Going wasn’t optional. Even if he was basically gift wrapping himself with a bow on top for a criminal, he  _ had  _ to go. The orphans and Nicolas were more important than his own life. 

He swallowed and dropped his hands from his hair. Taking a deep breath, he looked around the room. It was a trainwreck. Alexander took a look at the alarm clock. It was now 8 AM. He had about ten hours before he was headed toward is inevitable doom. 

He should clean up.

He took the next hour to clean up the room. He made both his bed and Thomas’s. He gathered all of the useless papers on his desk and dumped them in the trash. The papers that were important were organized into binders, drawers, and stacks. Pens, pencils, erasers were thrown into the cup where they were supposed to be. The books that had been laying around were put neatly back into the bookcase.

He looked over at the wall, which had photographs, drawings, and thumbtacks. Sighing, he realized he wouldn’t need them after he was gone. He took them out, one by one. He was drawn into a memory for each one before placing them into three piles. 

Once the last photo was taken down, he glanced at the clock. He inhaled sharply, realizing it was already 11 AM. Cleaning had taken much longer than he had planned. He pushed the stacks of photos and drawings against the edge of the desk, gathering the thumbtacks into his hand. 

He opened the door a crack, making sure no one was outside of the room. Remembering that the kids were in school, the only people he would have to deal with were Nana, Thomas, and a few staff members. 

He made his way down the familiar hall into the art room. He dumped the tacks into their designated jar and slipped out. The next stop was the kitchen. He might not eat most of the time, but today he would have all damn three meals. 

Before noon even hit, Alexander was seated at a table. His plan to quietly sneak into the kitchen had failed, as the kitchen staff had been gossiping in there. They were delighted to see him and decided to make him a meal. 

He sniffed the delicious scent in the air, smelling some sort of meat. His mouth watered, waiting for whatever feast awaited. 

“Eat up! You need food, boy. You’re tiny.” A female kitchen staff member had brought him a plate of food. Alexander didn’t look at it, turning his attention to her. 

“I am a perfectly average weight, height, and person.” He told her. She cracked a smile and chuckled. 

“Uh-huh.” The staff member waved her hand and walked away, leaving Alexander alone. Alexander finally looked down at the dish. What he saw shocked him, but delightfully so. 

_ Steak.  _

Steak was a rarity. Alexander enjoyed steak, pork chops, and occasionally a good turkey. But he sent most of his paycheck to the orphanage, so he didn’t really splurge on these things. He’d rather the insufferable little brats he grew up with have an extravagant Christmas instead of spending money on a steak for one. 

Speaking of Christmas, he wondered what he was going to do. Washington usually invited him over for Christmas, mostly out of pity. The Scuhyler sisters spent the day with their family and John hung out with friends of his. Lafayette and Hercules were too busy making out, so he’d never even consider that. Burr was pretty much the only person he  _ could  _ hang out with, except Burr was annoyingly stuff. 

Thomas might be willing to do Christmas together. Alexander could imagine Christmas with Thomas, sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate. But then Alexander remembered that his apartment didn’t have a fireplace and he’d probably be dead soon. 

_ What a bummer. I’ll never find out if the AI Employee Bill will be repealed now.  _ He thought glumly. Alexander was used to difficult situations and dark humor was exactly how he coped. Scratch dark, his sense of humor was downright morbid. 

He cut his steak and ate it. It tasted just as amazing as it looked… perfectly tender and juicy. He couldn’t ask for a better meal. By the time he finished, it was 1:03 PM. Alexander wasn’t usually obsessed with checking the clock, but today was different. Every minute counted. 

Alexander handed his dish to the kitchen staff, before walking out of the dining room. Looking around, there wasn’t much for him to do in the house. He decided to wander around the forest instead. 

The cool autumn breeze hit Alexander, making the man wish he had worn warmer clothing. Instead of going inside to change, he marched into the forest. 

Soothing scents, sights, and textures wrapped around the man like a blanket. Alexander knew every inch of this forest, from top to bottom. He’d spent five years in this forest. He knew where the best tree to climb was, where clay to make little pots could be found, where the berries and snake holes were. Absolutely nothing had changed since he last wandered this forest and it felt like home. 

After walking for a bit, he came to a rock he used to nap on. The rock was dirty and earthy like any other rock, but this one was shaped like a reclining chair. Alexander settled in and laid back. He watched the stormy sky for a few minutes, taking comfort and relishing every minute he spent here. 

_ Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt. _

Alexander’s eyes flew open in annoyance. His goddamn cellphone,  _ again _ . He swore that he would retire, throw his cellphone in a creek, and live off the grid. Alexander ripped his cell phone out of his pocket with so much force that it clattered to the ground, the LED display still working but cracked. 

4:35 PM EDT

_ Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck _ . 

That was all Alexander could think. It had been 1 PM just minutes ago, how could this happen? He didn’t even remember sleeping. Had he really wasted three hours sleeping? There was still so much to do. 

He picked up his phone and unlocked it, revealing that there was a text message from Washington. 

_ \--------------------- _

_ Washington: Agent Lafayette told me you might be onto something.  _

_ Washington: Is something wrong? What did you find? _

_ Washington: Let’s call now, Agent Hamilton.  _

_ \--------------------- _

Alexander knew that if he didn’t reply to Washington soon, he would be assumed dead and the mission a failure. The children and Nicolas would be abandoned forever, also assumed dead. With no other choice, Alexander picked up his phone and replied.

_ \--------------------- _

_ Hamilton: Nothing is wrong.  _

_ Washington: What did you find? _

_ Hamilton: [...Typing...] _

_ \--------------------- _

Just as Alexander was about to reply, another message came through from an unknown number. 

_ \--------------------- _

_ Unknown: You found nothing.  _

_ Unknown: Don’t forget who holds the power in this situation.  _

_ Unknown: Please excuse. Dear Cassie is putting up a fight, I must go.  _

_ \--------------------- _

The text messages then deleted themselves, after he had seen them. Alexander shuddered, realizing just how much power George had over him. Over  _ everything _ . Even if Alexander tried to tell Washington the truth, it would probably delete itself. 

_ \--------------------- _

_ Washington: Agent Hamilton, are you still there? _

_ Hamilton: Yes. I’m here.  _

_ Washington: Good. Now, what did you find out? _

_ Hamilton: Nothing, unfortunately. I thought I was onto something. _

_ It was just a stupid theory, that’s practically impossible.  _

_ Washington: Well, what was it? _

_ Hamilton: I thought it was possible that one of the orphans was doing it.  _

_ Washington: I never considered that. I’ll have to take that into consideration.  _

_ Hamilton: Please do. I’ve got to go now, talk later.  _

_ \--------------------- _

Washington sent a final message, presumably a goodbye text. Alexander didn’t care, sprinting back to the house. He now had about two hours and forty-three minutes before he was to say goodbye, possibly forever. He wasn’t going to waste a single second. 

He flew through the house, without stopping to greet any of the children or Nana. Thomas had apparently reappeared because he called out to Alexander. Alexander ignored him. 

Alexander raced into his old room and locked the door behind him. Grabbing a stack of paper and a pen, he settled down into his old child-sized desk for the final time. Alexander had a lot to do, but so little time.

He began to write a letter, addressed to Audrey. He would miss her punk attire and rebellious attitude. He wrote elegant words, hoping to soothe her after his disappearance. Alexander had never really been close to the young teenager, but he knew she looked up to him. 

“Alexander, I’m coming in,” Thomas spoke from outside the door. Alexander ignored him, too busy writing. Thomas jiggled the knob but to no avail. The jiggling of the knob turned aggressive. “Bloody hell, Alexander. Just let me in. It’s my room too, you asshole.” 

“You can have the room after 7:30. I’m using it until then, so go away.” He called back. Alexander might have sounded angry, but he was intensely focused on his work. Thomas spat a string of curses at him and kicked the door. Footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Alexander alone to work. 

Elegant, perfect, beautiful words spilled from the ink of the ballpoint pen. He wrote letters to Audrey, William, Nana, Lafayette, Hercules, John, Washington, Eliza, Peggy, Angelica, Burr, even Madison. He wrote a letter to almost every person he still knew and kept in contact with. 

He glanced at the clock, his stomach dropping. It was 5:46 PM. He had less than an hour before he was gone. Pulling out one final sheet of paper, he addressed one last letter to Thomas. Alexander had never written a letter quite like it, emotions and feelings overflowing into his work. 

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

_ Ring. _

It was time to go. 


	16. Not Impossible Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last Alexander before we switch back to Thomas for a bit! Hope you don't mind! ^^

Alexander was _not_ a fearful person. If you told him that his execution was today, he’d kill himself. If you told him to take a dozen bullets for you, he’d do that too. Alexander Hamilton didn’t ever shake or tremble in the face of danger. 

Today was different, however. George King was the one person who truly scared him. Even when George King was a child, the way George smiled, the way he slipped by unnoticed, the brush of his fingers on the other children’s skin was always… strangely eerie. It held a sense of danger, of madness. Of insanity. 

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

The ringing of his phone usually made him want to toss it out the window, but this time it was like nails on a chalkboard. He swallowed, wishing to do anything but pick up. He grabbed his phone and put it to his ear. 

But the moment he did so, the phone went dead. The screen went black, even though the battery was full. He pulled it back, staring at the screen in confusion. After a moment, the phone lit up with a white screen. Black letters flashed, giving directions on exactly what to do and where to go. 

He bit his lip, before finalizing his suicide mission. He would go to George King, fight him as hard as he could. If Alexander failed to take King out, he’d take his suicide pill to ensure that he couldn’t be used as a hostage. Before he attacked, he’d act extra cooperative and fearful. Although the fearful part wasn’t an act, as much as he hated to admit it. 

He set the letters out, sealing each envelope. He stood up shakily and proceeded to exit the room. Before he closed the door, he looked back at the dark, empty room. This might be the last time he ever saw it. 

Alexander began to make his way down the stairs. It was 6:43 PM, meaning everyone was at dinner. Alexander would not have to say goodbye to anyone in person. There would be no tears tonight. 

The small man reached the first floor and turned the corner to get to the front door. Instead of being at dinner, as Alexander expected, Thomas was leaning against the wall. Like he was _waiting_ for him. 

“Alexander, what the fucking hell? You disappear all day and now you’re going outside? What on earth is the matter?” Thomas sounded both angry and concerned. Like he couldn’t decide which. Alexander knew that he was supposed to be angry, so that’s how he’d act. If he didn’t act angry, he’d probably start shaking from fear. 

“Why does it matter to you?” Alexander spoke cooly, layers of ice freezing over his words. It looked like Thomas had shuddered, for a moment. But it must have been Alexander’s imagination. Thomas was standing still. 

“Alex, come _on_.” The anger in Thomas’s voice melted away, sounding like desperation and anxiety instead. Alexander steeled himself for the cruel thing he was about to do. If he didn’t break Thomas right now, Thomas would be heartbroken and possibly dead. 

“When did we get so buddy-buddy that you’re calling Alex?” The taller man opened his mouth, about to voice opposition. Alexander was having none of it, holding his hand up. “It’s Hamilton. Stick to that and we’ll be fine.” 

Pushing past Thomas, he made his way to the door. Alexander wasn’t quick enough to avoid being pulled into an embrace in the taller man’s arms. 

The taller man had pulled the shorter man’s back up against his chest, wrapping his arms right around Alexander’s elbows. Thomas’s head rested on his shoulders. It was something between a hug and a restraining technique. 

It felt nice. Warm and loving. Alexander sighed, wishing to stay like this forever. _Just a moment more_ , he thought to himself. 

But when the lights flickered, Alexander knew that he didn’t have a single moment to waste. He didn’t know how far King’s power reached and he didn’t want to find out. As much as he didn’t want to hurt Thomas, it was necessary. 

Alexander slammed the heel of his foot into the center of the taller man’s. Thomas grunted in pain, but still didn’t let go. He reeled his head forward and smashed it into the taller man’s forehead. The taller male grabbed his head, yelping in pain. As soon as Thomas loosened his grip, Alexander made a rush for the door, shut it tightly behind him. He ripped off the knob to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. 

He sprinted down the hill so fast it felt like he was flying. The man had changed into his “office” attire before he left. Light and easy to fight in. A suicide pill tucked into the sleeve. Alexander would change into his mission attire before he went, but it would have looked suspicious if he’d worn it out. 

Once Alexander reached the small french gate, he ducked into the edge of the forest. Almost at the speed of light, he changed into his mission attire. Alexander thought the mission wear was the most badass thing ever. 

The mission attire was almost all black. It fit his body perfectly, following every curve and divot. The areas on his shoulders were mesh, for airflow and so that pill could easily be taken out. The rest of the top portion was tough and semi-firm, acting as armor. The top portion went all the way up to his neck. There were small cyan strips on his outfit, indicating that he was Rank-0. 

The bottom portion was tight as well, but the protection was far less. In order to give maximum movement and flexibility, the pants were mostly fabric. Durable and virtually unrippable, but it wouldn’t prevent someone from stabbing your thighs. The outfit came with steel toe punk boots and a tool, which made him laugh. The toolbelt had an infinite number of useful gadgets and the punk boots looked like something Audrey would wear. 

He laced them tightly and threw open the gate. He stepped out and headed in the direction of the address. Alexander knew these streets well. Ignoring his ominous feelings, he marched forward. 

He stomped loudly, enjoying the sound. Alexander didn’t like silence. Other than the wind, there was no other sound. So stomping was the next best thing to music. The sun had soon gone down and the street lights turned on. They flickered eerily, not helping his anxiety at all. 

Alexander had been walking about thirty minutes before he found the correct address. To him, it felt like far too long. The small man cracked his neck, preparing himself for whatever was to come. 

**King Suppliers**

The man grimaced, hiding his fear. He knew why King had asked him to come here. Rich people with private property were almost never investigated. The billboard was dimly lit, adding to all the fear. But Alexander would not crack, no matter how hard he was pressed. 

_Look for C3_.

That was what King’s message had said. He glanced around at the pale blue buildings, walking deeper into the complex mess of buildings and trucks. When he finally found C3, he tiptoed up to the building.

_I’m not ready._

_I can’t do this._

_I’m terrified._

_I don’t want to die._

_I’m not satisfied with my life yet._

_Is this how they’ll remember me?_

_What about my legacy?_

Alexander clamped his teeth together and dug his nails into his fist. He didn’t feel much pain, because of the fabric that was over his fists. Alexander brushed his hair out of his face and pushed the door open, expecting something to jump out.

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn’t this. The building was dark, the only light coming from the skylight. He was lucky it was a full moon or else he wouldn’t have been able to see. 

The room was open, with no walls or rooms. It was filled with dust and the smell of cleaning supplies. Across the room, there were long wooden boxes. The tops to the boxes were scattered all over the place. It was completely, the only sound coming from Alexander’s breath. 

He inched forward, tense, and untrusting. The sound of his breath and soft tapping of his own boots filled his ears. Dust scattered with each step he took, as he neared the boxes. 

Once Alexander got close enough, he realized that those _weren’t_ boxes. They were coffins. Alarm bells rang inside his head, warning him to turn back now. But he knew that he couldn’t, so he gritted his teeth and moved forward once again. 

Once he got close enough to peer into the coffins, it was too dark to see what was inside. Alexander had a feeling he already knew, but he needed to confirm. He slowly grabbed the flashlight tucked away in his uniform belt, trying to be as quiet as possible. 

Turning the flashlight on, he covered it with his hand to dim the bright white light. He shined it in the direction of a coffin and his heart stopped. 

A young teenager laid inside. Long, curly brown hair splayed out, like a fan. Her mouth was open slightly, her face calm and peaceful. The teenager breathed gently and softly, barely moving at all. _Like a doll_. 

Alexander snuck forward and knelt down, shaking the young girl’s shoulder. She blinked and slowly opened her eyes, glazed over like a fish’s. When the teen opened her hazel eyes, he recognized her immediately. 

Cassandra Francis, age 17. Saint Mary’s Orphanage. 

He wanted to vomit. So badly. The man placed a hand over his mouth, preventing any sound from escaping. Cassandra laid down and went back to sleep, returning to her half-dead state. 

Using the side of the coffin to push himself up, Alexander began to look at the rest of the coffins. What was strange was that there were more coffins that there were missing orphans. This couldn’t be by chance. 

Sure enough, it was not. The missing orphans were all here, but there were many other children as well. Sleeping like dolls, seemingly peaceful. Could King have brought them here all in one night? Was it even possible?

Upon arriving at the last coffin, Alexander was so shocked he dropped his flashlight. Nicolas Fish was inside the last coffin, in the same state as the others. But Nicolas had grown a scratchy bread and his hair was longer than Alexander’s. Bones jutted out in places they shouldn’t have been seen. 

Nicolas Fish hadn’t been here for weeks. 

He’d been here for _years._

The last time Alexander had heard from Nicolas was on Nicolas’s 20th birthday. They were the same age. Meaning that Nicolas could have been missing and with King for 6 _years_. He shook, violently. The trembling was so violent that the coffin he’d been holding onto was shaking loudly as well. Ripping his hand away, he covered his mouth again. 

“Well, hullo! It’s been a long time, Alexander.” Without warning, King emerged from the wall. 

_Wait, the wall?_ Confusion hit. A hidden door. Of course. Was Alexander really stupid enough to think that King would leave him alone in a room with his hostages? 

“Not long enough.” Alexander snapped back. King held a flashlight and had two men by his side. The Mafia was what came to Alexander’s mind. The Mafia will do anything if you pay well enough. They’d be easy enough to hire. And difficult enough to beat. 

“Oh, don’t be like that, Lexi!” A maniacal grin lit up King’s face as if he missed this. Anger filled Alexander, which kept the terror at bay. 

“King. What exactly do you want? Why did you kidnap a bunch of orphans? And why the hell did you kidnap Nicolas? Why’d you ask me to come here?” A million questions raced through Alexander’s mind, demanding answers. To his dismay, King only smiled brighter and more maniacally. 

“My, my! So many questions. Let’s see…” King tapped his chin as if he needed to think. Alexander could feel the danger growing, as each second passed. People were probably surrounding the building now. Or maybe they already had. “Well, let’s start with your second question. The reason I kidnapped the orphans.”  
“We both know that people take _pity_ on poor little orphans. Such sad creatures. And if fate just dealt them yet _another_ bad lot, people would feel even worse.” King spoke elegantly, dramatizing every word. “And if the citizens found out that the government was doing nothing to get those poor little orphans back home, safe and sound… well, you can guess how they’d react.” 

As vile and disgusting as it was, Alexander understood what he was saying. Pity, fear, and anger were some of the greatest motivators. So that was one question answered, at the very least. 

“As for Nicolas… well, Nicolas had an offer to join the Anonymous Agents. As his friend, I couldn’t let him do that, now could I? Plus, it’d be much easier to convince _you_ to come, dear Alexander.” Confusion and anger coursed through his veins. 

“What the hell do I have to do with it? What does the agency have to do with this?” He spat out, poisonous as venom. There was a fire in his eyes, burning brighter than before. 

“I’d think that was fairly obvious,” King replied cheerfully, swinging his flashlight from side to side. “I’ve always hated the agency. That vile organization took _everything_ from me. All of my people…” 

“Your… people?” 

“Oh, yes. My people. Aaron, Eliza, Peggy, Angelica, You, almost Nicolas. It’s no fun without anyone to love and adore you.” 

“You’re insane. Batshit _insane_.” Alexander slowly backed up, retracing his steps to the front door. 

“I may be insane, but here you are. I’ve got two out of six of my people back… When the sisters and Aaron arrive here to rescue you, I’ll have everyone! Won’t that be great?” King said in a sing-song voice. Alexander didn’t completely understand. 

“But… why?” He glared at King, narrowing his eyes. If he could keep King busy for a bit longer, he might be able to form an escape plan. Maybe help would arrive. Something, anything. “Why not just kidnap us directly?”

“I told you that this plan was bigger than you. Than any of you. This plan isn’t just to get my people back… it’s to _destroy_ the agency completely.” King threw the flashlight up and caught it back in his hand. “You and Washington are the best strategist in the Agency. I can’t let them have you or everything will be ruined. I hope you understand, Lexi.” 

Alexander knew that there was a small chance that the room behind the hidden door led outside. It most likely wasn’t guarded, since that’s where King has come from. If he could manage to defeat King’s two men and King himself, he’d be able to get out. How far he got out would depend on if King called for backup and if the exit was guarded. Alexander quickly estimated his chance of escaping with this approach. 

Alexander had about a 15% chance of escaping if everything was like he thought. Nearly impossible. 

But not impossible enough for Alexander. 

He stepped back again as King and his lackeys approached him like he was going to turn and run. 

Once the men got close enough to grab him, Alexander sidestepped as far as he could do. Pushing off of his right foot, he made a run for it towards the hidden door. Alexander could feel the adrenaline kicking in as the men gave chase. 

The men were rapidly gaining on him, as they had longer legs. Alexander skidded to a stop, the men nearly flying past him. He grabbed one of the smaller coffin lids and whacked it full force into the back of one of the men’s heads. 

The struck man crumpled to the ground, out like a light. Alexander would bet a pretty penny that King hadn’t predicted this. Now it was two against one, giving Alexander better odds. King wasn’t actively fighting, meaning he expected the remaining man would win. The crazy bastard stood exactly where he was before, humming to himself. King had underestimated Alexander if he expected that his lackey would win in a one on one fight. 

Alexander had made it back to Nicolas’s coffin, where the flashlight was still on the ground. He dropped the coffin lid and threw the flashing light at the lackey. Whether out of habit or purposeful, the lackey caught it. 

But in the split second that the lackey took his eyes off Alexander to catch the flashlight, Alexander dove behind a group of coffins. It was incredibly dark in the building, giving him the advantage. King hadn’t even fought in the dark and Alexander highly doubted that the lackey played hide-and-seek with his victims often. 

“Turn it off,” King instructed, talking to his lackey. He almost cursed. The lackey having a flashlight was a huge advantage Alexander… he would always be able to tell where the man was. 

But now the man and Alexander were on even footing. A game of strategy, skill, and chance. King turned his light off too. The only light was coming from the moon now. 

Alexander slowed down his breathing, being as quiet as possible. He moved towards the wall, so he could stand in the cover of the darkness. The man seemed to have the same idea because the only sound now was King’s soft humming. Actually, King’s humming had grown louder. Was it an attempt to conceal his lackey’s movement? If so, wouldn’t that also put the lackey at a disadvantage? 

The short man found the wall and stood up. He moved quietly but quickly, careful not to leave a trace. A feeling of hope returned. He was nearing the door, he _had_ to be. 

But something sent shivers down Alexander’s spine. Something, someone, was close by. Too close. Too big. 

Alexander threw a punch in the direction this feeling was coming from. Instead of connecting with the thing, he heard the god-awful crunch of bone. Heat flooded his arm. Although the small man wasn’t feeling any pain, it was almost certainly broken. 

He began to make a break to the center of the room, where he might have some light to fight in. Before he could even start, the attacker grabbed Alexander’s ponytail and pulled. The band the attacker had grabbed flew out, giving Alexander the opportunity to give the attacker an elbow to the face. Hopefully, it was the attacker’s face. Alexander had elbowed him with his back twisted and still facing somewhat forward, so he didn’t exactly have the best angle. 

He was delighted when he felt pressure against his elbow and heard the attacker cry out in pain. Something wet drenched his elbow before he pulled it away, meaning he’d gotten a bullseye. Nailed that fucker right in the nose. 

Alexander raced toward the opposite direction of his attacker. The hidden door didn’t matter anymore, he just needed _any_ exit. Even the goddamn skylight would have worked if he was able to get up to it. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever god existed not only disliked Alexander but flat out hated him. The poor man had finally found his way to the hidden door. Entering the small room in such a rush was a horrible mistake.

Searing hot pain flowed through his body. His eyes fluttered wide with shock, realizing that he was dripping with blood. But this time, it wasn’t someone else’s… it was his own. 

He stood frozen, swaying slightly from side to side. Processing for a moment. There was a man, standing in front of him. The man must have been waiting in this room from the beginning. Based on the fact that there was now a knife sitting out of his gut, Alexander assumed that the man stabbed him. He didn't know how the attacker had gotten the knife through his protective gear. There must still be a way to escape. He just needed to process a bit more. More time to think. 

Unfortunately for Alexander, he wasn’t granted any more time to think. The hidden attacker grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged Alexander into the moonlight. He dropped the small man’s shoulder and he promptly collapsed. 

The buzzing inside Alexander’s head came back, to his great annoyance. It was like radio static. Nothing seemed real. The world was fuzzy and all the sound was turned down. 

“Idiot-” Someone was yelling. “I _told_ you not to injure him. He’s one of _my_ people. I’m the only one who can injury him, you fool!” 

“He’s an Agent, what did you-” 

“I wanted-”

“Brat-”

The voices grew dimmer and dimmer. Alexander desperately wanted to close his eyes. Instead, he attempted to force himself to listen. _Stay awake, stay awake._

Suddenly, the clacking of shoes was all that got through the fuzziness. He closed his eyes, expecting the worst. He could feel his small body being lifted off the ground and moving somewhere else. Someone wrapping his injuries with gentle hands. The scent of hospital. 

_Thank god,_ He thought. _The Agency managed to get here in time. Now, I can die in peace._

Unfortunately, neither one of those things were accurate. Hot breath filled his ear, with a harsh voice. 

“I’m sorry, Lexi. I didn’t mean to injure you. It’s all for the greater good. You’ll see. Now, just sleep for me, won’t you?” The word ‘sleep’ induced panic and overwhelming terror. 

Alexander knew that ‘sleep’ would result in that doll-like state. He couldn’t even fight it, unable to move from his injuries. Not to mention that he could feel someone holding him down. Unable to open his eyes, he shut them tighter instead. 

The last thing he physically felt was a needle piercing his arm, pulling him into a most likely permanent state of sleep. 

The last emotion he remembered feeling was extreme regret. 

_How the hell would he ever make amends with Thomas now?_


	17. Suicide Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long since I updated! Things have been crazy, I'll try to get back on track! >.<

It’d been two weeks since they’d come to the orphanage. Thomas wasn’t quite pleased with the circumstances, but their relationship had gone from enemies to lovers. That was enough, for now. All Thomas needed was for Alexander  _ not  _ to die. 

You’d think that would be a simple request. Unfortunately, Thomas knew Alexander. He was an anonymous agent and put his job above his own life. Asking that idiot not to die would be like asking a dog not to shed. 

Over the two weeks, Thomas had enjoyed it. He’d learned little things, like that Alexander preferred bitter over sweet and liked his meat tender. He’d learned big things as well, like how Alexander pestered the people at King’s College until they gave him a full-ride scholarship. 

Alexander had also grown increasingly handsome. Well, he was always handsome… but now Thomas was allowed to appreciate it, to drink him in. The way his hair was messy but was soft to touch. How when he was happy, he’d scrunch his nose and eyes. That when Alexander dressed decently, he looked like he could be a model. 

But that had come to a crashing end this morning. Thomas had known that Alexander was anxious. He’d spend hours pacing the floor until Nana or Thomas made him eat or sleep. He’d ignored, until this morning, savoring the peace. 

Alexander had left their room (how he enjoyed saying that!) a mere thirty minutes earlier. The short man had come bursting back in, which was unusual. He never returned to the room before noon, usually. 

“Are you-” Thomas began to speak out, both in concern for Alexander and fear for himself. 

“Quiet.” Alexander snapped at him angrily. The tone of voice the man used was harsh, cruel. He grabbed a sheet of paper, slamming it on his desk. It seemed like Alexander was looking for a pen, but Thomas didn’t care. 

“You don’t need to be an asshole, Alex. You can just-” Before Thomas could finish, Alexander waved him off angrily. He was pissed… where did Alexander get off treating him like this? He’d never treated Alexander like this. 

“Just be  _ quiet _ , for the love of god.” The small man frantically searched around his desk, knocking a cup of random supplies over. Unhappy and angry, Thomas began to approach the man. They were going to have a  _ serious  _ talk. 

“I get that this is hard for you, not having any family, but-” At that moment, both of them froze.  _ Oops _ , was the only thing Thomas could think. Alexander had frozen before he turned towards him. The aura he had was like a madman. Maybe Alexander really  _ was  _ possessed. 

“What do you mean by that?” Alexander spoke in a voice so low it was dangerous. Any other day, any other circumstance, it would have been sexy. But now? It was terrifying. 

“You lived here, didn’t you?” Thomas shifted and swallowed, feeling really guilty. Alexander must have caught on to something because he narrowed his eyes. 

“I do have a family, thank you very much.” The tone was once again cold and cruel like he was trying to block Thomas out. But Thomas wasn’t going to allow that. Although he hadn’t been the most honest person, he still disliked lying. 

“Why are you lying? I checked your records, you don’t have anyone left.”

At that moment, both of them froze. Again. 

_ Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. _

“You. Did.  _ What? _ ” Alexander stomped over to Thomas, but in a slow way. The two were face to face. Although Thomas was taller, it felt like the smaller man was looming over him. 

“Washington said we should get to know our partners-” He began to say, feeling nervous. 

“Bullshit. That’s a load of fucking bullshit. You wanted to get some dirt on me, didn’t you?” Alexander spat out. He could feel the venom and anger radiating off of him. “ So you went to the records room to look me up. You didn’t know I was a Rank 0, so you thought you’d have access to everything. You went through my records and saw some information.”

“And then when you saw I was a poor little orphan, you felt pity. Pity. That’s all this was. It was pity and nothing more, right, Thomas?” Thomas swallowed, feeling worse than before. Alexander hadn’t really been wrong. That was exactly what had happened. It wasn’t like that not, but it had been. 

The brown midget suddenly backed away, reaching out for the edge of the desk. He swayed for a moment, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. In seconds, his face had turned from one of anger to one of pain. 

“Alexander, that’s not-” Thomas tried to speak softly like he’d spoked an animal. But Alexander only waved his hand, a lazy attempt to point at the door. He then placed a hand over his head, like he had a headache or was dealing with troublesome kids. 

“Out. Now. Leave me alone.” He spoke through gritted teeth. Thomas sighed gently, knowing that he was in the wrong. If Alexander wanted space, he should have space. He deserved that much. 

The rest of the day was spent in agony. He hadn’t seen Alexander since early that morning. Was he still inside the room? Was he okay? The man had felt warmer than usual. It might be nothing, but he should have paid attention. Thomas should have paid attention before too. All the hours spent pacing the floor couldn’t have been simple anxiety. Alexander must have been planning something, figuring something out. 

Thomas decided that to make it up to him, he’d buy him some coffee. It wasn’t really a fair trade, really. Betrayal of Alexander’s trust couldn’t be made up as easily as a cup of coffee. But it was better than nothing. 

It was about one in the afternoon when Thomas finally returned, bitter black coffee in hand. He could smell it and hated it. How could such a tiny man drink such a disgusting and bitter drink? Maybe that’s why he was tiny, from drinking too much coffee. 

As he walked up the stairs, he bumped into one of the staff members. 

“Oh, Thomas, dear!” The woman, Meredith smiled brightly at him. 

“Afternoon, Meredith.” Thomas smiled brightly as well and made the motion of tipping his hat to the older woman. She gave a low chuckle, amused. 

“Are you looking for Alexander, love?” Meredith asked. It had been apparent to most of the orphanage what was going, Meredith included. Still, Thomas was shocked at her good intuition. 

“Actually, I am. Is he in his room?” The woman put a finger on her chin like she was unsure. 

“No, he left a couple of minutes ago. Maybe ten? Fifteen?” She smiled apologetically like it was her fault that no one could keep track of Alexander. “I think he went off into the forest. That was the boy’s favorite place to be, after all.” 

After exchanging thank-you’s and goodbyes, Thomas set out into the forest. And he got lost almost immediately. The forest was huge and he’d never been inside before. There weren’t any trails or paths. Just trees, plants, rocks, and more trees. 

Finally, around five, Thomas gave up his search. Alexander would only be found when he wanted to be found. This was his turf and Thomas didn’t have a clue on how to navigate it. 

He returned to the house. The kids had returned from school and were doing a mixture of activities. Thomas mounted the steps, determined to get a change of clothes, and lay down for a bit. When he arrived at the room, the door wouldn’t open.  It must have been locked. He glanced at the bottom of the door and felt his heart flutter with joy when he saw the light was on. Alexander must have been inside. Even if Thomas was locked out, it meant Alexander was alright. 

“Alexander, I’m coming in.” He spoke to the door. Instead of a reply, he heard the scratching of pen on paper. He jiggled the knob more aggressively, hoping that Alexander would notice him. “Bloody hell, Alexander. Just let me in, it’s my room too, you asshole.” 

Thomas wasn’t mad at Alexander, despite what he said. He was angrier at himself. 

“You can have the room after 7:30. I’m using it until then, so go away.” Alexander spoke from inside before pen could be heard on paper again. He may have sounded angry, but that was the voice the man used when he was focused. 

That man was planning something and Thomas knew it. It was probably something so stupid, so outrageous, so dangerous, that Thomas would turn him into Washington when he found out. Better yet, Thomas would tie that prick up himself.  But Alexander was inside the room and Thomas was outside of it. Short of breaking down the door, nothing could be done. He considered breaking down the door for a moment but shook his head before retreating to the living room. 

Luckily, Thomas knew Alexander’s habits better than he knew himself at this point. In a couple of hours, the ponytailed brunette would come out of the room and attempt to sneak out of the house unnoticed. Most likely during dinner. It was only a matter of time.

So Thomas bid his time. He stood in the blindspot of the corner that led to the door. There was no way in hell he was going to allow his lover to try anything stupid tonight. Not before he apologized and was on better terms.  Once Thomas heard footsteps, he got ready. Alexander was faster and more agile, but Thomas was stronger and just as smart. This may not have been his turf, but it was a battle he could win. So once he saw that angelic face turn the corner, he made his move. 

“Alexander, what the fucking hell? You disappear all day and now you’re going outside? What on earth is the matter?” Thomas knew that if he acted mopy and apologetic, Alexander would take that as pity. So sounding angry was his best chance. Still, concern was leaking into his tone. 

“Why does it matter to you?” When Alexander spoke, it could have frozen any ocean. His voice was dripping in ice and hatred. Thomas shuddered, wishing there was something he could do. Some quick fix. 

“Alex, come  _ on _ .” He didn’t have it in him to sound angry anymore. The agent looked at the man, staring him down. Something was  _ wrong _ . Terribly wrong. This behavior wasn’t like Alexander at all. Not only that, but he was paler than usual like he was sick. 

“When did we get so buddy-buddy that you’re calling me Alex?” Alexander narrowed his eyes, watching Thomas open his mouth to object. He raised a hand, cutting off all protests. “It’s Hamilton. Stick to that and we’ll be fine.” 

Alexander attempted to push past Thomas, who was in the way of the door. It might have been a last-ditch and probably somewhat inappropriate, but he grabbed Alexander and pulled him back into a forced hug. He wrapped his arms around Alexander’s elbows, restraining his movement to some degree. Thomas placed his head onto his shoulders, drinking in the warmth he gave off. 

At that moment, Thomas felt warm. Warm and happy. Alexander was in his embrace, allowing it to happen. But Alexander gave off a different feeling. One of vulnerability and fear. Depression, anger, and unhappiness mixed together. 

The lights flickered for a moment, but Thomas didn’t expect what happened next. A heel slammed into the center of his foot, hurting like hell. Thomas pulled his head back but didn’t let Alexander go. Instead, he attempted to grip him tighter, realizing that something was  _ very  _ wrong now. Even when they disagreed, Alexander had never purposefully hurt him. But when Alexander slammed his head into Thomas’s, he let go out of instinct. 

By the time Thomas realized what had happened, Alexander had fled the house, nowhere in sight. This was bad. If something wasn’t wrong, Thomas had basically assaulted Alexander for no reason. Even if something was wrong, assault was still bad. Several of the kids had left the dining hall at this point, either in their rooms or in the living room. He’d drawn attention, teenagers and toddlers peering at the commotion alike. 

“Wow! Alex went bang, bang, bang!”

“Did you see the lights?”

“Looked like something out of an action movie!”

“Are you okay?!”

“Looks painful.”

“Lexi ran away!”

“Where is Lexi?”

“Alex gave him an ouchie!” 

“Everyone alright?”

Voices surrounding Thomas. Someone helped him to his feet, handing him a towel. Glancing around the room, he realized that Audrey was the only one not there. Thundering footsteps could be heard on the stairs, which meant that Audrey was probably on her way. 

When a panting Audrey appeared, he knew he’d been right. Her eyes were wide and hair a mess. An emotion he instantly recognized was splayed across her face; panic. 

“Thomas, Nana. You need to see this.” 

Nana followed Audrey, a determined look on her face. The kind that a warrior wore before going into battle. Thomas, on the other hand, followed her in a panic. It felt like they were in a dream, marching up the stairs quickly. 

When they walked in the direction of the room Thomas and Alexander shared, his heart was pounding in his chest. What had Audrey seen that he hadn’t? When Audrey threw open the door, he understood. 

Upon seeing the room clean and stripped bare, with labeled letters on the desk, his heart sunk. 

Alexander Hamilton hadn’t been angry- he’d been on a suicide mission. 


	18. Chapter 18

Upon looking at the room, a sense of dread unlike any other filled the air. Despair quickly set in, as Thomas glanced around the room. It was cold and empty. He walked in, touching everything. 

Thomas’s bed had been neatly made and Alexander’s stripped, sheets folded neatly on top. The photos and art had been taken off the wall, placed on the nightstand in piles. Books were sitting upright in their proper positions, instead of scattered around the room. The desk where Alexander had sat, worked, slept… was clean and tidy. Sealed envelopes covered it in straight rows. 

_ Did he commit suicide? _

That was the first thought that came to Thomas’s mind. Was that Alexander’s goal? No, it couldn’t be as simple as that. He trembled as he looked at the letters on the table, likely the only answer to his question. Audrey had already grabbed one, ripping it open. It moved the other letters out of their pristine rows. 

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and marched over to the table. Whatever was inside the envelope, he could handle. Making an effort not to tear anything but the seal, Thomas opened the letter, drinking it in. Fancy, loopy letters filled the page. He grimaced and smiled at the same time, thinking how Alexander-like that was. 

_ My Dearest Thomas,  _

_ I must apologize for the past, present, and future. I don’t really have much time, so I’ll try to sum it up without writing an eight-page essay. But you know as well as I how hard that will be.  _

_ First, I’m sorry I was such a prick in the past. I’ll admit, you might not have left a good impression, but I had no right to treat you the way I did. You might be pompous and rich, but you’re still kind and loving. I am glad we met, even if we didn’t get the best start. In all fairness, you can’t blame that entirely on me, my dear. _

Thomas gave something between a laugh and a sob. That prick managed to apologize to him, insult him, and make him laugh in the same paragraph. Alexander certainly did have a way with words. 

_ Second, I’ll apologize for what happened today. I shouldn’t have taken my temper out on you. I deeply regret that. Also, I wasn’t angry for more than an hour, if that helps at all. But I did have to pretend, or I would break and never leave your side. As for the present situation and why I need to apologize for that, it’s best that I not go into too many details.  _

_ However, I managed to figure out the connection between all of the missing children. There are others missing as well, besides the children. You will probably scold me if I do happen to make it back alive, but the children will likely be returned soon.  _

Scold him? No, Thomas was going to hug him for dear life and then  _ murder  _ him. He knew exactly where this was headed and didn’t want to read anymore. Still, he continued on. 

_ The man who did this offered a trade. I’m sorry, but it involved innocents. I don’t think you understand how much power the rich truly have. They do live like kings, after all. He likely has control over the lights, our devices, and is watching you right now. Funnily enough, Burr has an obsession with the King. Did the King of England really eat as many Fish as Burr says? Please, ask him for me. The sisters might know about the King as well.  _

_ But enough about Kings, Fish, and the power of the rich. It’s fairly obvious by now that the man who committed this atrocity is after the Agency. It’s in our blood and names, after all. I cannot say too much and cannot be too careful. Deceit and trickery are in the last place you’d expect sometimes. It’s highly probable that I will not return. And with that, I’ll move on. _

_ As I said before, I do not have much time. It’s truly a shame… I was hoping to see you three more times and feast like a king. All from our favorite supplier, of course. But I’m truly sorry to leave you alone. It’s something I never intended to do. From this point on, I won’t speak any more riddles or messages with hidden intent. I’ll be open and honest.  _

_ The clock may be out of time for me, but not yet for you. I don’t believe I’ve said it before, but I love you. There you go. Put that on my tombstone. Or make fun of me when I come out of it alive. I, Alexander Hamilton, love Thomas Jefferson. Even if you are a rich, pompous, silly, and overly romantic boyfriend. I swear, if I do come out of this alive and you don’t murder me afterward, you can ask for whatever you want. That’s my promise, in exchange for the trouble I’ve given you.  _

_ All my love, _

_ A. Hamilton _

Damn that bastard. Now Thomas absolutely had to get him back alive. If he didn’t, he’d never be able to cash in that favor. Thomas Jefferson knew exactly what he wanted and he would sure as hell get it. 

In what seemed like minutes, half the agency was there. The children and staff had been sent to a secure location, to be cautious. Everyone had been removed from their posts and brought to Saint Mary’s, at Thomas’s request. They had filed into the dining room, sitting around the square table. The power was turned off at his request. After a short briefing, a wide-eyed and shell shocked filled the room. 

“He hasn’t left us with nothing, has he?” Washington finally asked, two bodyguards, standing behind him. It was exceptionally rare that Washington left the Agency’s property, as a Rank A-2. But this was a matter of utmost importance. 

“Of course not. He provided plenty of information in his good-bye letter. But we’ll have to decode it first.” Thoma nodded, feeling confident it was possible. The letter was passed around the table and quickly read. “So, Burr… do you know anything about Fish and Kings? Alex did say you had a bit of an obsession in your letter.” 

“Not that I know of. It  _ must  _ mean something. He used a singular for ‘Kings’, meaning it’s one person. And he capitalized ‘fish’ meaning…” Burr’s eyes light up with realization. 

“It’s a name!” Several people said in unison. The group gave a small cheer. They were getting somewhere. 

“Nicolas Fish, a friend of ours from childhood,” Angelica interjected. She narrowed her eyes. “Still, the King part doesn’t make sense…” 

“Wait… remember George?” Peggy asked slowly, still thinking. Burr, Eliza, and Angelica nodded. “His name was George Fredrick. He was adopted. Who adopted him?” 

“The King family!” Eliza gasped. Determined looks filled the table, with renewed vigor. They had a clue and that was enough. God knows what else Alexander had put in this letter. 

“Agent Hamilton also says that he’s after the Agency. Something about it being in our blood and names?” Agent Laurence commented. It felt wrong and too formal, coming from the guy’s best friend. But Thomas overlooked into, rubbing his arm instead. 

“Is there something else he was trying to tell us? Our blood and our names… our blood and our names…” Across the table, Seabury was muttering to himself. 

“What if he’s not talking about us?” Hercules asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

“He said  _ our _ , so he must be-” Lee began to speak as though Hercules offended him. 

“Can it, Lee. Seabury, shut up, and stop muttering. Go on, Herc.” Peggy shut Lee and Seabury up with the wave of her hand, looking at Hercules. 

“He might have said ‘Our’, but that doesn’t have to mean us specifically. It could simply be related to us. Our blood could mean our family as well.” Hercules stated this and the gears were turned. “Can I have a list of the missing children?”

A list was handed out to the members. 

“Jane…” Thomas spoke in a hushed voice. “That’s my sister’s name.” 

A hush fell over the table as the others frantically tried to search for anything remotely related to them. 

“Jamison… close to my name,” James spoke up. Thomas had almost forgotten his best friend was in danger as well. 

“Francis… like France. Merde…” Lafayette tensed. 

“Lee, from my name.” 

“Mari, from Maria Reynolds.”

“Robert… possibly Robert Troup?”

“Nico, from Nicolas Fish.”

All the names had been figured out, except for Peter Lyttin. Fear radiated from the table, the determination gone. 

“We need to move on,” Washington commanded, refocusing the group. “He said deceit and trickery are in the last place you would expect it?”

Thomas nodded. The letter was quickly reread. 

“Something about seeing me three more times and feasting like a king.” Thomas tried to comprehend this, but it was lost. 

“Location. That’s what it is. If we can crack this, we might be able to get his location.” Washington sat up straight. 

“Wait… George was adopted by a rich family, right?” Peggy asked. He nodded. 

“He mentions that a lot in there. About the power and control King has.” Peggy smiled. 

“Well, then his family should own property, shouldn’t they? Did he say anything else? What his family’s business might be?” Peggy pushed him for answers. 

“He said something about suppliers… That’s it! King Suppliers!” Thomas slammed his hands down on the table in excitement. The group exchanged excited glances. 

“There’s still more. If he stated something else in code, then it’s important.” Hercules curled his fist up. 

“See you three more times… a building number! Something with a three.” Laurence smiled in relief, figuring something out. “And see… See… See…” 

“King Suppliers, building C3!” Eliza cried out, finally solving the puzzle. Alexander was at King Suppliers in the building called C3. Finally, they knew everything. They’d solved the puzzle and would win the battle. 

“Damn, that man is  _ smart _ !” Hercules whooped, cheering. Lafayette and Laurences joined in. 

“That’s great and all, but maybe we should actually  _ do  _ something with that information? He not only has valuable information, but he’s also brilliant. If he was left in enemy hands, it could turn out bad. It’s not too late to go get him, is it?” Lee brought an end to the celebration with those words. Everyone turned to Thomas. 

“He left around seven… it’s eight twenty-three now. He’s only been gone an hour and a half.” Thomas looked at his watch. 

“Then it’s not too late.” Washington seemed to smile. Almost. “I cannot come with you, but I can send you on this mission with my blessing.”

Within the next fifteen minutes, the emergency mission was planned. Partners were assigned and the group got changed. If they pulled this mission, they  _ won _ . For good, this time. If they failed?

They were as good as dead. 


	19. Thinking

“I’m sorry, Lexi. I didn’t mean to injure you. It’s all for the greater good. You’ll see. Now, just sleep for me, won’t you?”

Alexander felt King’s face pull back from his ear and then something flowing into his arm. Strange, he hadn’t even noticed the IV Port in his arm. Still, something sort of unknown concoction was going to enter his system, whether he liked it or not. 

Despite the fact that there was someone or something holding him down, he struggled for a few moments. Alexander Hamilton was not a quitter if he was anything at all. 

Whatever struggle the small man gave, it wasn’t enough. It didn’t even move whatever was holding him down. Before long, his body stopped responding to him. His legs and arms would not move the way he requested and his neck no longer supported his head. His eyes refused to open even a bit. 

Regret flooded him, as well as sadness. Alexander would never see Thomas again now. King wouldn’t keep his word and let the children go. He’d gone on a suicide mission and failed to even die properly. If Alexander could have moved, he would have curled up and cried. 

The feelings moved away from him, replaced by a sense of peace. Like standing in a field, safe and happy. What struck Alexander as odd was that he was still _thinking_. He could not move his limbs or open his eyes, but he could think. The feeling of peace pushed harder and he panicked. 

And there wasn’t ‘sleep’. The panic had pushed the sense of peace away, refusing to allow him to sleep. His wounds were wrapped and there was no pain. Soon, the feeling came back again. 

_Look what King did,_ Alexander thought to himself. He thought of Nicolas, Peter, Cassandra. _Look what King will do._

All of the other agents were still in danger. Thomas, Washington, the Schylar’s. King would kill them. Or worse, put them in this state. He would not allow it. 

Realizing that the feeling of peace was gone again and had been replaced by anger, he knew exactly what he had to do. The man may not have usually been one dictated by emotions, but if this was going to keep him from becoming a human doll, then so be it. He would reach out and latch on to whatever misery or anger he had left. 

By God, Alexander Hamilton was going to survive if it cost him everything.


	20. A Theory on Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha, long wait again. I got a new job, so that takes up a lot of my time now!

Thomas knew he was a prick. A spoiled, pompous prick, just like Alexander said. He was rich and normally didn’t have to go on missions as dangerous as this. The only real reason the man was a Rank 0 was that he was smart… not because he was strong, or brave, or really that useful. 

So, as Thomas replaced his casual clothing with his infrequently used combat gear, he felt like vomiting. For a moment, he thought of Alexander in this uniform… the little shit was so small that he wasn’t even average height for a man. Yet, for some reason, his back looked so wide and Alexander looked so tall when he wore this. If Alexander can wear this uniform and go into battle proudly, then so could he. 

Before they left, a plan had been decided. Peggy was the best driver of all of them, so she would stay in the car as their escape if all went bad. They had managed to get their hands on a blueprint of C3, which happened to include a skylight. Eliza was physically the weakest, so she was going to play sniper today. Hercules (strongest) and Lafayette (strategist) would take the front, John (medic) and Angelica (best with handguns) would be on the sides, with Madison (lockpick/tech), Burr (usually the most alert), and Thomas in the back. Lee, Seabury, and Washington were going back to the office where it would be safer, as anyone Rank A and above weren’t allowed to go on field missions. 

The group walked down the hill, silent as a million thoughts flooded their minds. Not only were their innocent children involved, but they also had friends and family trapped by King. That wasn’t even touching Alexander’s situation. The immigrant was powerful, strong. Almost god-like in his abilities. If he had bargained his life away, deeming King too powerful to deal with, then what chance did the rest of them stand? 

“You know, Alexander had an interesting theory on the soldiers,” Angelica spoke up, as they clambered into a van together. The engine started and they were racing off, waiting for her to finish whatever she was going to say. “He said there was a difference between an okay soldier, a good soldier, an excellent soldier, and a perfect soldier.” 

“Oh? I haven’t heard this one before.” Peggy turned up the radio while asking curiously. Soft classic music made the atmosphere less tense, relaxing the whole car. 

“He said that an okay soldier could fight and shoot a gun. A good soldier knew that they could die at any time and was ready for it. And an excellent soldier not only was ready to die but wanted to,” There was a pause for a moment, as the group considered this. 

“What was a perfect soldier then?” Eliza folded her hands in a prayer position and gripped them tightly. 

“A dead one,” Angelica swallowed. “Alexander said he would never be a perfect soldier.” 

“He better keep his word, then.” Hercules slammed his hand against the armrest, shaking the car. Street lights passed through the car, illuminating the anxiety-ridden faces of the agents. They glanced up, seeing the creepily lit “King’s Suppliers” sign right ahead. 

Something inside Thomas’s chest grew tight with fear as they turned into the mass of buildings, warehouses, and sheds. Peggy stopped the car ahead of the line of C buildings, turning everything off. 

“If I take you any further, they’ll notice the car sounds and lights. They might already be aware that we’re here.” She whispered, brown curls nodding as she raised a fist. A secret symbol of hope, of good luck. 

As quietly as possible, they snuck out of the car. Thomas had been trained not to make noise when he walked, but he could still hear bits of gravel underneath his boots. It made him cringe, screaming internally. He fell into the back of the group, next to Madison and Burr. 

If Thomas could have charged all the way to that stupidly pale blue building, he would have. But the man knew that if he tried, Angelica and Hercules would beat the shit out of him before he made it past the front of the formation. So, all that was left was to walk behind them, slowly. 

100 feet.

75 feet.

50 feet.

25 feet. 

10 feet. 

5 feet. 

It felt like at any moment, someone was going to pop out and attack them. Someone probably was, if Thomas was being honest with himself. Still, he pushed forward with the hope that Alexander was right in that building, just a minute away from being in his arms. 

_ The lock?,  _ Eliza signed. It was lucky that all of them had been required to take basic sign language. Hercules shook his head in confusion, pointing his arm at the unlocked door. 

_ Maybe he unlocked it before? _ , John quickly signed out. Lafayette shook his head, pointing at the ground and how there wasn’t any lock nearby. Grimacing, Thomas nodded his head towards the door, telling them it was time to move on. Eliza moved around the side of the building, to get into a position to snipe. 

“All of you, we have visuals. Your cameras have automatically been activated… go ahead, whenever you’re ready.” Thomas nearly jumped from shock. The earpiece he’d been forced to wear had been quiet so far, but now Washington’s voice was loud in his ear. 

Hercules pushed the door open slowly, before throwing it and rushing in, guns blazing. Thomas and the others followed suit but stopped short, nearly colliding. 

No one. There wasn’t a single soul in sight, no sounds of breathing, or any sort of movement. Dust particles stirred, but that was it. Thomas’s eyes flew frantically around the room, looking for any sort of sign that someone was here and alive. 

“Flashlights on,” Burr said from behind Thomas. A few clicking sounds and Thomas inhaled sharply. 

There was blood splayed across the very spot they were standing, as well as a hairband. Alexander’s hairband. A fair amount of ripped out hair was mixed in as well. 

“Is that…” Thomas never showed his fear. Never. But his voice cracked so badly that he forgot to be quiet. 

“No. It’s not his.” John spoke softly, in relief. He shifted his light to a pair of night-goggles. “See? Alexander probably slammed his elbow in whoever was attacking’s nose. It must have landed a bull’s eyes, because of the pattern of the blood on the ground. Plus, it probably knocked off their night-vision goggles.”

“Putain de tricheur!” Lafayette swore loudly. He was right… that was fucking cheating, using night vision goggles. Although no one said it had to be a fair match. 

The group spread out, moving around the empty warehouse. Except for the end of the building, which held a bunch of boxes, it was empty. Thomas walked to the middle of the room, where the blood seemed to have been spilled. 

A trail of blood, from one side of the room to the center had been left. Panic flooded Thomas, only one thing on his mind when he laid eyes on the coffins… Was Alexander dead? 

“Guys, you need to see this…” Burr called out, standing next to a coffin. The lid of the coffin was off, so the rest of the team rushed over. Inside laid a young lady, matching the description of Cassandra Francis. Her forehead was damp with sweat and her face twisted like she was having a nightmare. 

John took over instantly, he checked her pulse and listened to her breathing. He shook her, watching her eyes fly wide open. The young lady sat up and coughed violently. 

“She’s… alive.” Madison looked shocked. The rest of the group did too. “Search the other ones!” 

The group frantically flew through the coffins, discovering more of the missing children on the case and some that were not on the case file either. The children began waking up, coughing, and blinking to their new surroundings. 

“Oi,” Thomas turned around, about to smack whatever had grabbed onto his shirt. It was Cassandra who had grabbed on tightly, swaying. “I don’t know much and you don’t have much time, but I’ll tell you what I do know.” 

“Huh?” Thomas sat the girl down, kneeling next to her. Angelica, Burr, Madison, and Lafayette joined him, while Hercules and John continued to search. 

“The man you’re looking for is George King. He’s not here anymore. Neither are several of the hostages, including the agent that came from you.” Cassandra spoke weakly, but confidently. She was wearing a white shirt and pants. She hadn’t been kidnapped in that outfit. 

“Where is he?” Madison sat down, criss-cross applesauce. 

“Dunno. King didn’t say. But I think that agent that came is injured, really badly. King had a fit before he left and took everyone with him. Something about his people.” The girl blinked her hazel eyes in an impatient manner. They seemed to ask what he was waiting for. “Everyone here was in a coma-kinda state. Could hear, breath, think… couldn’t move. Not important now, though.” 

“Cassandra, we need…” Before Burr could even finish his statement, she spoke over him. 

“They left this building six minutes and thirty-six seconds ago. I haven’t heard the car start yet, either. You didn’t leave anyone outside, did you?” 

Eliza. Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“Agent E. Skyular, come in. Agent E. Skyular, come in! Hell, Eliza, are you there?!” Static. Nothing came in, not even Washington. 

“They cut us off.” Hercules made his way over to them, throwing his earpiece onto the ground. “Alex is injured badly too, based on the bloody mess over there.” 

“He still has Nicolas Fish, Jane Kirstien, and James Reynolds. As well as Agent Hamilton and most likely Agent E. Skyular, now. Everyone else has been recovered.” John trudged back, eyes full of anxiety. “We need a plan.” 

“Then make one, idiots. It’s been seven minutes and eleven seconds since you got here.” Cassandra spoke with passion. A quick glance around the room had everyone knowing what was next. 

“John needs to stay here, he’s the only real medic on the team. Lafayette should stay as well, to help protect the hostages. Angelica, King might have an interest in you. Stay here as well.” The three nodded when Thomas spoke, guns ready to shoot at any moment.

“Madison, we’ll need you to pick any locks. Hercules… we’re going to need that strength. Burr, you’re a decent strategist and you know King the best, so I’m dragging you along as well.” Without another word, the rescue group took off outside, in hopes of spotting any clue to where he went. 

As they raced back to their car, they realized Peggy was gone as well… a trail of blood leading away from the car and out of the warehouse area. A hint, a clue. Anything worked. 

With the speed of a demon and the skills of a drunkard, the van was moving… latching onto the sight of the only other vehicle on the road. 

‘Hang on, Alexander… We’re almost there.’ Thomas thought to himself. He should have kept a tighter grip on the wheel instead… 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my first fanfic. If you enjoyed it or have any feedback (I could really use it!), please let me know. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible, so subscribe for notifications!


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